# 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


ICamtntt  ©.  I|fmatta 


^  jHemortal 


^^  tf)c  people  of  i$lict)isan 


"Mp  toi)olc  life  fjag  been  guibeb  iip  a  sensie  of  butptoljicf) 
31  Ijabe  met  unflincljinglp.  Ctjere  ijab^  bf  en  times,  Ijotoeber, 
tijat  required  great  moral  courage.    Jr^o  otJ)er  coursfe  tuouHj 

leab  to  ultimate  success."— Las«  iwrds  o/iV/r.  Hemans. 


LANSING 

THE  MICHIGAN  HISTORICAL  COMMISSION 

19  17 


719^)3 


3(oi 


Zo  tfje 

^tatc  of  iHictigan 

anb  to  tljc 

^niteti  States; 

is  bcbicatcb  tJjis  memorial  of  a  gieaf citizen 

bp  tfjc  people  of  iHictjigan 


Q^r-^^iiL-i^  y- 


^5-*^r 


preface 


IX  editing  this  memorial  of  my  beloved  husband  my 
thought  turns  from  his  circle  of  intimate  friends  to 
that  great  company  of  men  and  women  for  whose 
public  good  Mr.  Hemans  spent  his  life.     I  am  deeply 
conscious  of  the  great  debt  he  owed  to  their  confidence  in 
him  and  their  love  for  him,  and  I  could  only  wish  that  all 
might  have  knoA\Ti  him  as  I  knew  him  in  his  home.     His 
was  a  gTcat  soul,  great  in  the  little  things  as  well  as  in  the- 
«\     larger  affairs  of  public  life.     If  I  may  be  permitted  this 
confidence,  I  wish  you  to  see  how  the  sweetness  of  his 
life  is  reflected  in  his  .feeble  djdng  words  to  me  which 
were  so  sweet  and  helpful,  and  I  will  tell  them  to  you. 
"V,    He  said,   "This  is  nothing,  wife.     I  am  all  right  with 
everyone,  and  all  right  ^^^th  my  God.     This  is  nothing, 
don't  feel  bad.     We   have  had  a  happy  married  life. 
You  have  been  a  good  wife  and  always  been  my  inspiration. 
^      Don't  feel  bad,  be  peaceful  and  happy."     With  these 
'^      last  beautiful  words  of  trust  in  his  God  and  words  of 
commendation  to  me,  I  am   happy  in  knowing  that  he 
has  come  into  his  beautiful   noble  self  in  the  Beautiful 
Isle  of  Somewhere. 

Mrs.  Hemans. 
Mason,  November  4,  1917. 


^ 

^ 


Crossing  the  Bar 

(A  favorite  poem  of  Mr.  Hemans',  read  at  the  funeral  services 
in  Mason,  Nov.  19,  1916) 

Sunset  and  evening  star, 

And  one  clear  call  for  me! 
And  may  there  be  no  moaning  of  the  bar, 

When  I  put  out  to  sea. 

But  such  a  tide  as  moving  seems  asleep, 

Too  full  for  sound  and  foam, 
When  that  which  drew  from  out  the  boundless  deep 

Turns  again  home. 

T^\^light  and  evening  bell, 
jjf  And  after  that  the  dark! 
And  may  there  be  no  sadness  of  farewell. 
When  I  embark. 

For  tho'  from  out  our  bourne  of  Time  and  Place 

The  flood  may  bear  me  far, 
I  hope  to  see  my  Pilot  face  to  face 

When  I  have  crost  the  bar. 

— Tennyson. 


i 


piosrapijical  ^feettf) 

LAWTON  THOMAS  HEMANS  was  born  Nov.  4, 
1864,  at  the  village  of  Collamer,  Onondaga  count}^, 
New  York,  where  his  father  carried  on  the  business 
of  blacksmithing.  He  was  of  a  good  old  sturdy  English 
family.  The  father,  John  A.  Hemans,  came  from  Ban- 
well,  Somersetshire,  England,  about  the  year  1835.  ~  His 
mother  is  of  English  and  Holland  extraction,  and  is  still 
active  at  the  age  of  eightj^  years. 

When  eleven  months  of  age,  Mr.  Hemans  removed 
with  his  father's  family  to  the  township  of  Oneida,  Eaton 
county,  jMichigan,  where  his  father  took  up  the  business 
of  farming.  Three  years  later  the  father  came  to  the 
city  of  Mason  and  resumed  his  trade  as  blacksmith; 
'afterwards  he  moved  to  a  large  farm  which  he  had  pre- 
viously purchased  in  the  township  of  Onondaga. 

There  on  the  farm  the  boy  Lawton  soon  learned  to 
know  the  life  of  a  farmer's  son.  Working  on  the  farm 
during  the  ])usy  planting  and  harvest  season,  and  attending 
the  district  school,  was  the  recurring  routine  until  his 
sixteenth  year  when  he  entered  the  public  schools  at 
Eaton  Rapids.  Here  his  experience  was  that  of  the 
average  farmer's  boy,  working  for  his  board,  walking  the 
eight  miles  to  his  home  every  Friday  night  to  spend 
Saturday  and  Sunday  with  his  parents,  and  then  walking 
back   again   evcr>-   Suiiday   night   or   Monday   morning. 

9 


Many  times  I  have  seen  him  taking  these  trips,  and  have 
admired  his  courage.  In  June,  1884,  he  graduated  from 
the  Eaton  Rapids  high  school,  and  from  that  time  until 
the  fall  of  1887  his  time  was  occupied  as  a  teacher  in  the 
district  schools  of  Aurelius  toA\aiship  during  the  winter 
months,  and  as  a  hand  upon  the  farm  during  the  summer, 
when  he  sometimes  went  with  threshing  outfits. 

In  1886  he  began  to  read  law.  Judge  Huntington  of 
Mason  kindly  gave  him  access  to  his  library,  and  when 
not  otherwise  employed  Mr.  Hemans  diligently  read  the 
l)ooks  from  this  library.  In  the  fall  of  1887  he  entered 
the  Law  Department  of  the  University  of  ]\Iichigan. 
At  the  close  of  his  work  there  he  was  elected  one  of  the 
circuit  court  commissioners  of  Ingham  county,  and 
opened  an  office  at  Mason.  In  the  spring  of  1889  he 
formed  a  co-partnership  with  John  M.  Corbin,  an  able 
attorney  of  Eaton  Rapids,  under  the  firm  name  of  Corbin 
and  Hemans.  This  firm  continued,  however,  only  one 
year,  as  Mr.  Hemans  was  advised  by  his  man}'  friends  in 
IVIason  to  return  there  and  re-open  the  old  office  of 
Huntington  and  Henderson,  which  had  been  the  leading 
legal  firm  of  Mason  for  manj^  years.  He  accepted  this 
opportunity  and  practiced  law  in  that  city  until  1910, 
when  he  entered  the  Railroad  Commission. 

Mr.  Hemans  was  elected  to  the  legislature  of  1901-02 
by  a  majority  of  350  over  his  republican  opponent,  and 
again  elected  to  tlie  legislature  of  1902-03  bj-  a  substantial 
majority  over  several  opponents.  In  1907  he  represented 
Ingham  county  in  the  constitutional  convention.  The 
following  year  he  was  nominated  as  Democratic  candidate 
for  governor,  and  came  within  a  few  hundred  votes  of 

10 


defeating  Fred  ^I.  Warner.  In  1910  ^Ir.  Hemans  was 
again  the  Democratic  candidate  for  governor,  opposing 
Chase  S.  Osborn.  Hn  that  year  Mr.  Osborn  appointed 
him  the  Democratic  member  of  the  Raih'oad  Commission, 
as  a  member  of  which  he  proved  himself  particularly 
adapted  for  the  work  of  handling  public  utilities  cases 
that  came  before  the  commission.  Governor  Sleeper  has 
said  that  he  believed  INIr.  Hemans  better  fitted  to  handle 
this  work  than  any  other  man  in  Michigan.  His  work  in 
the  constitutional  convention  stamped  him  as  a  statesman 
of  high  order.  In  the  legislature  he  made  a  reputation 
as  a  skilled  debater,  especially  on  all  legislation  relative 
to  railroads,  corporations  and  disbursement  of  public 
funds.  His'  ability  was  such  that  he  was  conceded 
leadership  on  the  floor.  He  was  also  sent  as  delegate-at- 
large  to  many  Democratic  conventions,  and  at  gatherings 
was  conspicuous  for  his  aggressive  tactics.  He  could 
fight.  V)ut  could  not  hate,  and  woe  to  the  adversary  who 
faced  him  in  debate — he  was  always  ready  with  a 
twinkling  story  or  a  keen  epigram,  as  well  as  with  th(> 
logic  of  wisdom. 

He  served  faithfully  and  well  in  all  tasks  that  were 
assigned  to  him.  He  held  duty  before  him  at  all  times 
to  the  exclusion  of  all  other  things.  His  farewell  words 
to  the  State  he  loxcd  so  well  were  these,  "My  whole  life 
has  been  guided  by  a  sense  of  duty  which  1  lui\-e  met 
unflinchingly.  There  have  been  times  that  have  re- 
quired great  moral  courage.  No  other  course  would  lead 
to  ultimate  success."  (These  Avords  I  caught  with  my  ear 
to  his  nps  tc('l)l\-  ;mil  falteringly  uttered,  but  repeated 
again  1)\'  him  coi'icctly  as  al   hist,  word  foi'  word.      I  l(>el 

11 


that  he  sacrificed  his  life  for  the  State  of  Michigan,  every 
inch  of  which  he  loved.  The  last  campaign  was  what 
undermined  his  health.  He  gave  his  life  for  the  State, 
and  I  knew  he  was  doing  it  at  the  time.  His  great 
love  of  Michigan  is  expressed  in  a  few  verses,  occasion- 
ally, in  his  younger  years,  but  which  were  usually  hidden 
from  others). 

When  a  man  spends  a  lifetime  of  private  and  public 
activity  in  one  community  as  did  Mr.  Hemans,  his 
neighbors  and  friends  come  near  to  knowing  the  real 
man.  He  had  the  active  friendship  and  political  and 
moral  support  of  his  neighbors  all  his  life,  and  passed  on 
amid  their  sincere  regrets.  No  higher  tribute  can  be 
paid  to  any  man.  One  has  said  of  him,  ''He  was  a  great 
friend;  his  personality  appealed  to  the  heart  as  his  elo- 
quence and  intellect  appealed  to  the  head."  Humanity 
was  his  greatest  treasure.  He  held  unswerving  faith  in 
his  fellowmen,  which  won  him  so  much  support  irrespective 
of  partJ^  He  suffered  keenly  from  any  careless  criticism 
of  his  i^ublic  work.  (At  times  I  have  seen  him  bow  his 
head  in  his  hands  and  sob,  "They  don't  understand  what 
I  am  trying  to  do.  It  hurts  me  so  to  be  so  unjustly 
criticized."  Never  has  there  been  a  time  when  he  would 
not  have  willingly  retired  from  any  public  position  if  he 
had  been  convinced  that  the  public  would  have  been 
benefitted) . 

Mr.  Hemans  held  various  offices  in  Ingham  county. 
He  was  elected  mayor  in  1892;  at  that  time  he  was  the 
3'oungest  mayor  in  the  State — 27  years  of  age — and  was 
designated  the  "Kid  Mayor  of  Michigan."  He  was 
mayor  of  Mason  five  terms,  and  citj'  alderman  the  same 

12 


number.  For  many  years  he  was  secretary  of  the  Mason 
city  school  board  and  was  then  elected  its  president. 
For  twenty-five  years  he  was  affiliated  with  a  literary 
club  of  Mason,  which  has  been  a  prominent  club  of  the 
State  and  has  had  many  men  as  its  presidents  who  have 
held  prominent  places  in  the  -history  of  Mason  and  of 
Michigan.  ^Nlr.  Hemans  was  president  of  this  club  at 
the  time  of  his  death. 

Mr.  Hemans  was  of  a  literary  turn,  and  besides  his 
"History  of  Michigan,"  which  has  been  in  use  in  the 
schools  of  Michigan  for  some  years,  has  written  a  book 
on  the  hfe  of  Stevens  T.  Mason.  Respecting  this  work 
I  will  quote  the  opinion  of  its  editor,  who  .says,  "Mr. 
Hemans' '  Life  and  Times  of  Stevens  T.  Mason '  is  an  inter- 
esting and  valuable  addition  to  the  historical  literature 
written  by  Michigan  authors.  In  its  facts  the  work  shows 
thorough  preparation,  and  Mr.  Hemans  has  told  me  that 
during  many  years,  in  leisure  hours,  he  searched  out  the  ' 
materials  wherever  he  thought  he  could  find  anything  of 
value,  even  visiting  the  Mason  homes  in  Kentucky  and 
Virginia  and  interviewing  descendants  of  the  family. 
In  the  evaluation  of  his  evidence  Mr.  Hemans  shows  the 
trained  legal  mind  and  an  unusually  calm  and  fearless 
judgment,  and  in  the  organization  of  the  book  he  never 
confused  his  purpose,  to  present  the  life  of  Mason  in 
relation  to  the  Governor's  times.  Nor  did  he  neglect  the 
human  side.  The  "Boy  Governor,"  as  he  loved  to  call 
him,  was  Mr.  Hemans'  own  ideal  of  manhood  when 
himself  a  young  man  looking  fearlessly  into  the  future, 
both  young  men  of  high  ideals  triumphing  over  great 
obstacles  and  overwhelmed  at  last  by  the  force  of  destiny. 

13 


The  sweet  home  hfe  of  the  Masons  appealed  to  Mr. 
Hemans  strongly,  and  he  presents  it  with  great  tender- 
ness. The  book  has  the  hterary  charm  of  all  Mr.  Hemans' 
writings,  a  volume  one  will  take  up  with  interest  and  lay 
do\Mi  with  deep  regret  that  his  great  heart  and  facile 
pen  are  still." 

In  1889  Mr.  Hemans  married  Miss  Minnie  Pauline 
Hill,  a  school-teacher  of  Ingham  county  and  daughter 
of  William  J.  Hill  of  Onondaga,  and  they  have  one  son, 
Charles  Fitch  Hemans,  a  Senior  in  the  University  of 
Michigan.  To  have  known  Mr.  Hemans  best  was  to 
have  seen  him  in  his  home  where  his  wealth  of  knowledge 
and  his  keen  sense  of  humor  showed  to  the  best  advantage. 
He  made  it  a  custom  when  at  home  to  spend  some  hours 
during  the  day  in  reading  aloud  to  his  family  and  what- 
ever guests  might  be  with  them.  Riley,  Field,  Burns, 
Drummond  were  among  his  favorite  poets,  and  he  would 
read  some  pathetic  story  in  a  manner  vividly  real  while 
the  tears  were  streaming  down  his  face,  or  laughed  until 
he  cried  over  some  particularly  humorous  parts. 

His  charm  of  private  character  is  to  be  envied.  When 
Mr.  Hemans  delivered  the  address  at  the  dedication  of  a 
monument  erected  in  memory  of  Douglass  Houghton, 
he  used  these  words,  which  seem  a  fitting  tribute  to  the 
one  with  whom  they  originated :  "There  is  an  inspiration 
in  the  life  of  Douglass  Houghton,  as  there  is  in  the  life 
of  Lincoln,  for  they  come  as  messages  of  cheer  and  as- 
surance that  the  common  abilities  and  common  virtues 
of  life  are  for  the  success  of  individuals  and  the  glory  of 
Mates." 


14 


Srtlmt^s 


^ributesi 


AT  a  special  meeting  of  the  Historical  Commission 
held  at  Lansing  December  21,  1916,  the  following 
resolutions  were  adopted  on  the  death  of  Hon. 
Lawi:on  T.  Hemans,  late  President  of  the  Commission: 

"The  State  of  Michigan  and  the  Michigan  Historical 
Commission  have  met  with  a  severe  loss  in  the  death  of 
La^\i:on  T.  Hemans,  a  member  of  this  Commission  since 
its  organization.  By  his  deep  interest  in  the  history  of 
jNIichigan  and  his  miusual  knowledge  of  its  beginnings 
and  development,  being  the  author  of  a  short  but  valuable 
history  of  the  State,  Mr.  Hemans  possessed  unusual 
qualifications  as  a  member  of  the  Commission.  The 
monument  erected  in  this  State  to  its  first  Governor, 
Stevens  T.  Mason,  was  largely  due  to  the  influence  and 
interest  of  Mr.  Hemans;  one  result  of  that  interest  was 
the  thorough  investigation  of  the  Governor's  life  and  the 
preparation  of  a  most  interesting  and  valuable  biography 
which  this  Commission  hopes  to  publish  soon,  and  which 
will  be  a  permanent  and  honorable  memorial. 

"While  we  do  not  need  to  speak  in  this  connection  of 
Mr.  Hemans'  character,  ability  and  value  to  the  State  in 
general,  we  wish  to  place  upon  the  records  of  the  Com- 
mission our  high  appreciation  of  his  value  to  the  (Com- 
mission. His  attractive  personality,  good  judgment, 
persuasive  pleasant  manner,  wide  personal  acquaintance, 

17 


and  democratic  spirit,  combined  to  malve  his  counsel  and 
suggestions  very  valuable,  and  his  death  brings  to  each 
member  of  the  Commission  a  deep  sense  of  personal  loss." 


Twenty-eight  years  of  neighborly  intercourse  with 
Lawton  T.  Hemans  leads  me  to  believe  that  no  one  truly 
knew  the  man  who  was  not  familiar  with  his  home  life. 
Many  people  thought  Mr.  Hemans  cold  and  distant  in 
manner,  and  only  those  who  knew  him  best  realized  that 
this  was  the  result  of  an  innate  spirit  of  self-consciousness 
which  he  found  it  hard  at  times  to  throw  off.  In  his 
home  there  was  no  evidence  of  this,  and  it  was  there  that 
he  always  appeared  at  his  best. 

He  was  always  courteous  and  genial,  full  of  quiet  fun 
and  humorous  repartee,  despising  boisterousness  or 
vulgarity.  Whenever  at  home  for  the  noonday  meal, 
he  spent  an  hour  reading  aloud  to  the  members  of  his 
family  and  the  "stranger  within  his  gates."  Riley, 
Field  and  Drummond  were  among  his  favorite  authors, 
and  he  would  read  some  pathetic  tale  in  a  manner  vividly 
real  with  the  tears  streaming  down  his  face,  or  enter  into 
the  spirit  of  some  humorous  story  so  thoroughly  that  he 
would  choke  with  laughter  as  he  read.  He  had  that 
rare  dramatic  sense  which  made  him  one  with  the  char- 
acters portrayed  in  his  reading. 

He  was  intensely  interested  in  matters  historical,  and 
no  one  could  be  in  his  company  and  not  grow  in  some 
measure  enthusiastic  on  the  subject.     He  was  for  some 

18 


3'ears  president  of  the  Ingham  County  Historical  and 
•Pioneer  Society,  and  it  was  his  desire  to  have  a  per- 
majient  record  of  tow^lships  and  their  formation,  also 
of  the  pioneers  and  their  work,  prepared  wliile  some  of 
the  pioneers  were  here  to  tell  the  storj^,  and  he  never 
ceased  to  urge  upon  the  members  of  the  society  the  value 
such  records  would  be  to  coming  generations. 

While  secretary  of  the  Mason  school  board  he  was  a 
frequent  visitor  at  the  high  school  chapel  exercises,  and 
never  without  giving  an  instructive  talk  to  the  children. 
He  had  traveled  extensively  throughout  the  United 
States,  and  always  with  a  wide  and  comprehensive 
vision,  and  it  was  a  source  of  enjoyment  as  well  as  one  of 
valuable  instruction  when  he  told  the  pupils  of  his  travels 
and  made  real  to  them  the  wonders  he  had  seen.  One 
who  was  in  school  in  those  days  remarked  at  the  time  of 
]Mr.  Hemans'  death,  "INI}',  those  talks  were  great!  I 
shall  remember  them  all  my  life." 

Mr.  Hemans  was  for  many  years  a  member  of  the 
]Mason  Tourist  Club,  and  was  its  president  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  As  secretary  under  him  for  tAVO  3'ears,  I 
was  privileged  to  know  something  of  his  helpfulness  in 
the  historical  work  of  the  club,  and  to  realize  his  wonder- 
ful executive  ability.  He  enjoyed  his  affiliation  with 
this  club,  and  after  ill  health  became  his  portion  he 
attended  the  meetings  as  long  as  his  strength  permitted, 
though  all  knew  he  was  continually  suffering  from  pain 
and  weakness. 

The  melody  of  the. ''Divine  Lullaby"  hushed  him  to 
rest,  and  he  "sleeps  well" — and  sleeps  on. 


19 


9(rcl)ibalb  K^rooinficHi 

My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Hemans  l^egan  on  October 
22,  1907,  when  we  became  seat-mates  in  the  Constitutional 
Convention.  Previously  I  loiew  him  only  by  reputation 
as  a  capable  and  conscientious  public  official,  lawyer  and 
historian.  In  the  Convention  I  came  to  know  him  as  a 
man. 

Providence  was  generously  kind  to  me  in  giving  me  a 
seat  by  his  side.  I  had  the  rare  privilege  of  absorbing 
some  of  his  great  fund  of  information, — political,  his- 
torical, legal,  etc.  There  were  few  mooted  questions 
entering  into  the  formation  of  the  Constitution  which 
we  did  not  discuss  in  heart-to-heart  talks.  There  are 
public  men  who  have  one  opinion  for  the  platform  and 
another  for  their  close  friends.  Opinions  "will  be  pandered 
to  in  public  which  in  private  life  are  despised.  But  Mr. 
Hemans  was  cast  in  a  different  mold  and  belonged  to  a 
superior  type  of  statesmen.  I  never  knew  him  to  express 
privately  an  opinion  or  conclusion  which  he  was  un- 
willing to  champion  in  public  debate.  He  never 
championed  publicly  any  cause  which  he  was  unwilling 
to  defend  in  private  conversation.  His  words  were  a 
perfect  mirror » of  his  thoughts.  Hypocrisy  was  utterly 
foreign  to  his  nature.  Many  times  have  I  discussed  with 
him  different  phases  of  mooted  questions  and  watched 
with  interest  the  processes  of  his  mind.  He  was  neither 
stubborn  nor  egotistical  and  he  courted  the  fullest  dis- 
cussion of  every  question.  But  when  he  reached  a 
conclusion  it  was  the  deliberate  judgment  of  a  well- 
informed  mind  bent  only  on  the  discovery  of  the  truth. 

j\Ir.  Hemans  had  courage;  not  simply  physical  courage 

20 


but  rather  the  courage  to  do  all  and  suffer  all  for  truth 
and  duty.  I  have  seen  him  disappomt  some  of  his  close 
friends  because  he  refused  to  subordinate  what  he  be- 
lieved to  be  right  to  questions  of  mere  friendship.  He 
never  asked,  Is  it  popular?  Will  it  win  applause?  But 
always  he  would  put  in  the  foreground  the  inquiry,  Is  it 
right?     Will  it  be  for  the  best  interests  of  the  State? 

I  believe  he  never  surrendered  a  fixed  conviction  for  the 
sake  of  wdmiing  applause  or  public  approval.  Yet  he  was 
a  firm  believer  in  the  common  people  and  he  had  every 
confidence  in  their  collective  honesty.  He  had  a  sensitive, 
delicate  and  refined  nature.  Criticism  touched  him 
deeplj',  but  he  never  allowed  it  to  swerve  liim  from  the 
path  of  duty,  and  when  his  judgment  on  public  questions 
met  the  approval  of  the  people  it  gave  him  rich  pleasure 
and  satisfaction. 

He  was  a  thorough  and  industrious  student.  His 
history;  of  Michigan  and  his  biography  of  the  Boy  Gover- 
nor, Stevens  T.  ]Mason,  revealed  better  than  I  can  tell, 
his  habits  of  mind,  his  thorouglmess  and  the  labors  he 
undertook  without  any  hope  of  adequate  pecuniary 
reward.  In  the  privacy  of  our  conversations  he  told  me 
of  the  thousands  of  miles  he  traveled  in  different  States 
of  the  Union  hi  search  of  evidence  and  data  for  the 
Michigan  History  and  Biography  of  Governor  Mason. 

While  he  loved  the  beauties  of  nature,  Ills  devotion  to 
his  work  compelled  him  to  spend  his  spare  moments 
within  the  four  walls  of  his  study. 

He  never  craved  wealth.  To  him  the  richest  thing  in 
life  was  the  consciousness  of  duty  well  performed. 

Life    is    immeasurably    richer    to    me    because   of   my 

21 


association  with  him.  He  was  a  true  friend  and  servant 
of  all  mankind.  I  do  not  know  what  his  views  were 
concerning  the  Great  Future,  but  I  do  know  that  if 
unselfish  service  to  others  is  the  best  passport  to  a  Life 
Beyond,  then  all  is  well  with  him. 

o     a 

tCtjomas  Promlep,  3t. 

It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  add  my  little  to  a  tribute 
to  my  dear  friend  and  counselor,  ]Mr.  Lawton  T.  Hemans. 
I  know  of  no  character  that  so  inspired  me  as  did  that  of 
^Ir.  Hemans.  One  could  not  come  under  his  influence 
without  being  better  for  it  and  saying  to  himself  that  to 
be  loved  and  thought  of  in  the  way  he  was  is  sufficient 
riches  for  any  man. 

In  my  business  experience  with  ]\Ir.  Hemans  I  was  ever 
impressed  ^^^th  his  unswerving  honesty  and  love  of  fair 
play.  In  his  official  capacity  we  all  felt  when  we  placed 
our  problems  and  troubles  in  his  hands  that  "all  was 
well";  that  if  the  cause  was  deserving  and  just,  there 
would  be  no  stone  left  unturned,  no  effort  unmade  that 
right  and  justice  should  prevail;  that  each  side  of  a  case 
would  be  thoroughly  studied,  carefully  weighed  and 
finally  passed  upon  in  unbiased  judgment. 

His  was  a  character  too  high  to  be  affected  by  prestige 
or  station,  too  broad-minded  and  noble  to  be  partial  even 
for  the  sake  of  friendship,  or  touched  by  political  intrigue. 
His  pleasure  seemed  to  be  found  in  doing  the  right  thing, 
and  duty  lay  a  shining  path  before  him  which  he  followed 
in  happiness;  to  know  him  was  to  know  that  his  feet 
would  not  stray  from  the  path. 

22 


The  places  that  have  Imowii  him  are  missing  a  presence 
that  can  hardly  be  replaced,  and  the  ones  that  knew  him 
ever  so  slightly  will  miss  the  kindly  hand  of  friendship, 
for  such  he  was — a  friend  to  all. 

I  know  of  no  life  more  fully  exemplifying  the  lines  of 

Shakespeare : 

"This  above  all:  to  thine  own  self  be  true, 
And  it  must  follow,  as  the  night  the  day. 
Thou  canst  not  then  be  false  to  any  man." 


^.  iX.  Canficlb 

A  correctly  balanced  estimate  of  a  public  man  is  one 
Avherein  the  motive  which  inspires  his  acts  makes  possible 
an  unvarnished  delineation  of  his  career  without  doing 
violence  to  justice.  Lacking  entrenchment  b(>hind  pure 
character,  fame  is  short  lived.  The  writer  who  would 
contribute  to  the  pages  of  Michigan  history  a  story  of  the 
career  of  Lawton  T.  Hemans  can  with  perfect  safety 
predicate  his  every  sentence  upon  an  honestly  founded 
faith  in  the  moral  and  intellectual  integrity  of  his  subject. 

My  acquaintance  with  ]\Ir.  Hemans  covered  a  period 
of  twenty  years,  and  during  most  of  that  time  we  were  so 
closely  associated  as  to  afford  ample  opjiortunity  for  a 
study  of  the  man  from  every  angle,  which  study  entirely 
convinced  me  that  he  not  only  ]X)ssessed  exceptional 
powers  of  discernment,  but  that  he  was  also  fortified  by  a 
character  which  forbade  the  utilization  of  questionable 
means  to  an  eml,  no  matter  to  what  degree  of  eminence 
he  might  thereby  have  arisen. 

By  extended  study  of   tiic   i)rinciplt's  of  govciiunent, 

23 


rendered  valuable  through  a  constant  desire  for  their 
correct  application,  he  avoided  expression  of  views  upon 
any  subject  until  he  had  exhausted  every  available 
source  of  enlightenment,  and  opinions  thus  formed  were 
defended  ^vith  a  frankness  that  invariably  excited  ad- 
miration and  to  the  unbiased  mind  carried  conviction. 
His  candor  and  homely  mailner  of  expression  were  attri- 
butes which  greatly  enhanced  the  force  of  his  argument. 
One  of  his  most  delightful  gifts  was  a  quaint  sense  of 
humor,  which  he  utilized,  not  in  excess,  but  appropriately 
to  give  force  and  clearness  to  his  deductions,  and  which 
aided  very  materially  in  rendering  his  spoken  addresses 
effective. 

If  reference  to  a  notable  occasion  in  his  career  is  per- 
missible, I  invite  attention  to  his  first  campaign  for 
Governor  of  his  State,  which  occurred  in  1908.  Physically 
unfit  for  the  strain,  he  entered  that  memorable  contest 
in  response  to  the  unanimous  demand  of  his  party  and  to 
the  limit  of  his  endurance  carried  his  message  to  the 
people — not  to  parade  himself,  but  in  the  firm  belief  that 
he  held  views  upon  vital  questions  that  the  people  should 
know.  He  received  26,383  more  votes  than  had  ever 
before  been  given  a  candidate  of  his  party  for  the  governor- 
ship, while,  save  in  three  instances,  his  total  vote  exceeded 
that  ever  received  by  a  successful  candidate  for  that 
honor.  With  such  force  and  conviction  did  he  appeal 
to  the  electorate  that  the  result  showed  his  vote  to  be 
77,992  in  excess  of  those  received  in  the  State  by  the 
candidate  of  his  party  for  the  presidencj"  at  that  election. 

Such  a  gratifying  acceptance  of  his  reasoning  and  logic 
admits  of  but  one  explanation.     Candor,   and  a  belief 

24 


in  his  integrity  had  won  for  him  the  confidence  of  the 
voters,  and  his  defeat  by  less  than  10,000  in  a  total  vote 
greater  than  had  ever  before  been  polled  in  Michigan 
was  to  him  a  tribute  to  which  his  friends  ever  after 
pointed  with  a  justifiable  pride. 

Lovable,  always  considerate  of  his  fellows,  he  ever 
sought  an  avoidance  of  expression  which  would  give 
offense  to  or  injure  the  feelings  of  even  those  opposing 
him.  He  despised  deception  in  politics  and  abhorred 
the  application  of  expediency  in  any  form  to  accomplish 
a  selfish  result. 

His  was  distinctively  a  life  given  to  public  service. 
As  a  candidate  for  office  he  ever  shunned  discussion  or 
consideration  of  honors  or  emoluments  which  might 
come  to  him  thereby.  His  concern  was  ever  for  the 
State  and  an  intelligent  and  honest  administration  of 
its  affairs.  During  the  two  campaigns  wherein  he  led 
his  party  as  its  nominee  for  the  governorship  his  chief 
pleasure  was  in  the  presentation  of  his  views  upon  the 
pending  questions,  and  he  always  insisted  that  if  his 
opinions  were  sound,  sooner  or  later  whatever  party 
might  l)c  in  power  would  recognize  the  wisdom  of  putting 
them  into  effect.  Happily,  he  lived  to  see  many  im- 
portant enactments  of  which  he  was  a  pioneer  proponent. 

He  hekl  in  j^rofoundest  veneration  those  founders  of 
the  republic  whose  teachings  made  possiljlc  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  govermnent  of,  by,  and  for  the  people,  and 
his  chief  joy  was  with. his  books,  learning  more  and  more 
of  those  principles  which  were  enunciated  for  the  freedom 
of  mankind.  Probably  Michigan  has  never  been  honored 
with  a  son  more  thoroughly  conversant  with  the  funda- 

25 


mentals  of  political  economy  than  was  the  lamented 
Hemans,  and  surely  she  could  not  count  within  her  scores 
of  eminent  scholars  a  man  whose  soul  was  more  surely 
in  consonance  with  American  ideas  of  democracy. 

His  life  was  an  inspiration,  and  his  activities  were 
ever  directed  along  hues  which  would  serve  the  public 
good.  In  his  passing,  Michigan  has  lost  a  citizen  whose 
memory  will  l^e  revered,  and  whose  example  may  well 
be  emulated  by  the  gener'ations  to  follow. 


Milliam  11.  Carpenter 

Lawton  T.  Hemans  had  a  charming  personality,  and 
this  he  showed  to  every  one,  but  particularly  to  those 
who  had  the  privilege  of  meeting  him  intimately  in 
private  life.  His  presence  was  restful  and  comforting. 
He  was  a  sympathetic  listener.  He  was  never  dis- 
putatious and  never  commonplace.  His  conversation 
was  always  adapted  to  his  company  and  was  always 
interesting. 

His  work  as  a  member  of  the  board  which  controls  our 
public  utilities  should  make  his  reputation  an  enduring 
one.  For  there  is  no  office  in  the  State  more  important 
than  this,  and  no  man  in  the  State  could  have  better 
performed  its  duties  than  they  were  performed  by  Mr. 
Hemans. 

Indeed,  he  was  peculiarly  fitted  to  perform  those 
duties.  He  was  able,  alert,  honest,  courageous  and  fair 
minded.  He  loved  his  work,  and  had  no  inclination 
to  use  his  office  as  a  stepping-stone  to  another  position. 

26 


He  had  a  just  sense  of  his  relations  to  the  pubhc.  He 
knew  that  it  was  his  duty  to  render  pubUc  service  rather 
than  to  win  popular  applause,  and  when  he  had  to  choose 
between  rendering  such  service  and  winning  such  ap- 
plause, he  had  the  courage  to  render  the  service.  And 
he  found  too,  as  strong  courageous  officials  always  find, 
that  by  making  that  choice  he  had  increased  liis  en- 
during popularity. 

Courage  to  do  what  was  right  rather  than  what  was 
popular  was,  in  my  judgment,  his  distinguishing  char- 
acteristic and  the  explanation  of  his  remarkable  success. 


Augustus  €.  Carton 

To  know  La^^i:on  T.  Hemans  personally  was  to  love 
him,  and  to  know  him  intimately  in  public  life  was  to 
honor  him  as  the  highest  type  of  public  servant. 

It  was  my  great  privilege  to  know  Mr.  Hemans  through 
a  period  of  many  j-ears  as  a  friend  and  as  a  servant  of  the 
people.  There  was  a  charm  in  his  personality  that 
distinguished  him  from  all  others.  He  seemed  to  be  set 
apart  and  to  look  over  and  above  the  commonplaces  of 
life  and  to  be  in  touch  \\ith  something  serenely  noble 
which  his  presence  conveyed. 

As  a  party  leader  Mr.  Hemans  absolutely  disregarded 
considerations  of  personal  advancement,  and  despised  in 
others  all  political  trickery  and  expediency  to  gain  selfish 
ends.  He  was  always  "four-square"  to  the  world,  and 
one  always  knew  where  he  stood.  He  always  informed 
himself   carefully   before   he   expressed   an  opinion,   l)ut 

27 


when  convinced  he  was  right  he  met  the  issue  with 
absolute  courage.  He  was  by  nature  a  student,  a  clear 
thinker,  and  an  effective  speaker.  His  frank  maimer 
of  defending  his  views  and  his  quiet  humor  never  failed 
to  win  an  audience.  His  audience  sensed  at  once  the 
sincerity  of  the  man. 

In  public  life  he  was  a  generous  friend  even  to  those 
who  opposed  him,  and  was  held  in  profound  esteem  by 
all  leaders  of  the  opposing  party.  He  loved  the  "square 
deal."  This  was  showai  not  only  in  all  his  work  as  a 
jurist,  but  on  the  Michigan  Railway  Commission,  where 
his  special  knowledge  fitted  him  to  be  a  great  champion 
of  the  people.  His  was  a  life  devoted  and  finally  sacri- 
ficed to  the  public  welfare. 

Mr.  Hemans  was  not  only  an  individual,  but  a  type. 
In  his  life  we  have  an  inspiration  to  the  youth  of  this 
country  and  an  example  to  all  men  in  public  life.  Mr. 
Hemans  proved  that  under  our  form  of  government  it 
is  not  needful  for  a  young  man  to  possess  either  influential 
friends  or  wealth  in  order  to  reach  high  position  in  the 
public  service  and  esteem,  but  that  the  greatest  reward 
comes  from  doing  honestly  and  well  the  things  entrusted 
to  one's  care.  His  life  will  be  a  benediction  if  the  example 
he  set  to  men  in  public  life  shall  cause  us  to  emulate  him, 
and  so  to  conduct  ourselves  that  we  can  say,  as  did  he, 
when  the  final  summons  shall  come:  "My  whole  life 
has  been  guided  l^y  a  sense  of  duty  which  I  have  met 
unflinchingly.  There  have  been  times,  however,  that 
required  moral  strength.  No  other  course  would  lead 
to   ultimate   success."     In "  the   death   of  Mr.   Hemans,, 

28 


Michigan  has  lost  a  noble  son,  and  the  people  a  sincere 
and  powerful  friend. 

iiHrS.  I^arrict  Cas^terlin,  Mr.  Hemans'  first  school  teacher 
and  lifelong  friend 

Morley,  the  English  essayist,  said,  "Life  is  to  be — to 
do — to  do  without,  and  to  depart,"  and  in  these  few 
words  is  condensed  the  life  story  of  even  earth's  greatest 
men. 

Mr.  Hemans  was  not  content  "to  be"  in  any  but  its 
fullest  sense.  Life  to  him  meant  reaching  out  and 
touching  other  lives,  knowing  what  others  were  thinking 
and  doing,  keeping  abreast  of  the  world's  work,  and  he 
was  an  inexhaustible  mine  of  information  to  all  who 
came  to  him  seeking  knowledge. 

It  was  sometimes  said  that  he  was  a  dreamer  and 
visionary.  Certainly!  He  was.  All  great  thinkers 
dream  dreams  and  see  visions.  Visions  are  the  founda- 
tions of  all  doing,  for  "Where  there  is  no  vision  the 
people  perish." 

But  beyond  just  to  live,  just  "to  be,"  Mr.  Hemans 
desired  "to  do,"  and  now  that  we  are  missing  him  from 
his  many  activities  we  begin  to  see  how  varied  were 
those  doings. 

He  was  intensely  interested  in  all  that  had  to  do  with 
the  history  of  Michigan  and  with  putting  into  permanent 
form  the  life  story  of  those  pioneer  souls  who  evolved 
this  great  State  from  its  primeval  forests  and  swamps. 
With  pen  and  voice  he  pressed  this  duty  upon  all — the 
necessity  of  conserving  the  utensils  and  household  fur- 

29 


nishings  as  well  as  the  history  of  those  so  rapidly  passing 
away,  and  today  as  we  stand  with  bowed  heads  mourning 
our  loss  let  us  resolve  to  carry  out  his  plans  for  the  benefit 
of  coming  generations.  He  was  in  sympathy  with  all 
woi»k  for  the  uplift  of  mankind  in  toAvn,  county  or  State, 
always  ready  to  help,  for  "he  was  a  friend  to  man,  and 
he  lived  in  a  house  by  the  side  of  the  road." 

It  has  been  said  that  it  is  easy  to  give  but  not  so  easy 
gracefully  to  receive  a  gift.  In  the  same  way  it  is  much 
easier  "to  do"  even  hard  things  than  to  "do  without" 
the  things  one  wants.  Mr.  Hemans  had  solved  even  this 
hard  problem,  and  when  he  could  not  have  the  things  he 
desired  he  put  the  wish  aside  and  went  his  even  way 
without  gruml)ling  or  complaining  of  his  hard  lot  and 
the  "injustice"  of  the  world.  While  by  no  means  a 
fatalist,  he  accepted  the  philosophy  of  another  great 
soul  who  declared,  "The  things  that  are  mine  I  shall 
have  and  what  is  not  mine  I  do  not  want." 

Just  when  he  w^as  becoming  so  proficient  in  the  three 
great  lessons  of  life,  "to  be — to  do — and  to  do  without," 
and  when  it  seemed  we  could  least  spare  him,  came  the 
call  "to  depart,"  the  summons  to  graduate  from  this 
"College  of  Hard  Knocks,"  and  enter  a  higher  institution 
of  learning  where  his  powers  would  have  fuller  scope,  for 
no  one  could  for  a  moment  believe  that  such  a  heart  and 
such  a  brain  were  ever  created  to  be  blotted  out  with 
the  passing  of  a  worn-out  body. 

So  we  are  sure  that  in  some  happier  clime  with  ever 
increasing  powers  for  good  our  friend  stands  waiting  to 
bid  us  "Good  Morning." 


30 


J^.  j^.  Crotocll 

We  remember  Mr.  Hemans  mostly  as  patient,  kiinl 
and  true,  although  we  knew  him  to  be  able,  faithful  antl 
of  an  essentially  honest  fiber. 

A  naturally  loyal  man,  he  did  not  dissemble.  He 
thought  honestly  and  reasoned  soundty.  Expediency, 
that  tool  of  little  men,  was  not  fitted  to  his  purpose. 
His  need  for  artful  dealing  and  specious  ]:)leading  was 
nil,  and  those  who  appeared  before  him  to  practice  these, 
forfeited  his  confidence  and  esteem. 

He  loved  the  open  spaces  and  the  distant  view.  They 
were  sjanbohcal  of  liis  character, — frank,  clean-cut  and 
clear. 

We  think  of  him  as  a  type,  and  as  one  who  when 
visioned  in  the  crowd  would  long  be  rememljered  e\'en 
though  others  were  forgotten.  He  impressed  and  won 
us. 

The  work  he  did  will  appeal  more  and  more  to  the 
thoughtful  if  not  to  the  careless  mind;  it  was  trul}^  con- 
structive,— never  destructive,  and  he  wrought  manfully 
for  the  best  interests  of  his  State  and  its  people,  his 
greatest  ambition  being  to  do  the  daily  task,  to  do  it 
right  and  to  keep  the  faith. 

I  think  of  him  as  one  who  possessed  the  will  and  the 
ability  to  compass  any  worthy  deed, — a  lovable  and 
great  man  who  will  long  be  remembered. 


31 


iWortimer  €.  Coolcp 

To  have  knowni  Lawton  T.  Hemans  and  to  have 
enjoyed  his  confidence  was  a  rare  privilege,  an  inspiration. 
He  personified  my  ideal  of  the  American  citizen  of  today. 
He  was,  at  the  core,  more  like  the  men  of  my  father's 
day,  and  my  grandfather's — a  type  of  man  all  too  rare 
in  these  modern  times.  In  him  had  come  down  that 
fine  old  spirit  of  colonial  days,  when  men  considered  it 
part  of  their  duty  to  be  interested  in  and  to  take  an 
active  part  in  the  affairs  of  their  town,  their  county, 
State  and  Nation.  In  those  early  days,  he  would  in 
Massachusetts  have  been  a  "Selectman,"  and  in  New 
York  a  "Squire,"  both  humble  offices,  but  marking  the 
respect  and  confidence  of  one's  neighbors.  He  would 
have  been  a  mentor  in  neighborhood  affairs,  an  arbiter 
in  disputes;  and  when  councillors  in  the  grave  affairs  of 
state  were  needed,  he  would  have  been  found  among 
them.  In  the  old  Greek  days  he  would  have  been  a 
disciple  of  Pericles  and  in  Roman  days  a  Senator. 

Active  as  he  always  was  in  politics,  it  was  in  a  way 
which  conmaanded  the  confidence  of  his  followers  and 
the  respect  of  his  opponents.  He  was  a  man  to  be 
trusted,  whether  in  agreement  with  one  politically  or 
not.  In  a  political  campaign  he  was  ready,  quick  and 
keen,  and  fought  hard,  but  as  a  General,  who  had  in 
mind  the  public  good  that  he  believed  would  follow  by 
winning  the  battle. 

Always  conscientious  and  just,  he  wanted  to  do  the 
right  thing.  He  wfis  careful  in  making  up  his  mind, 
but  once  it  was  made  up,  he  was  absolutely  fearless  in 
expressing  it.     Nothing  could  turn  him  aside  when  he 

32 


believed  he  was  right.  He  was  proud,  but  it  was  a 
virtuous  pride  which  showed  in  a  dignity  that  uncon- 
sciously  commanded  the  deference  due  him  as  a  superior, 
or  due  the  pubhc 'office  that  he  filled.  He  was  a  fit 
representative  of  the  dignity  of  the  State. 

The  State  of  ^Michigan  was  fortunate  in  the  selection 
of  Air.  Hemans  as  a  member  of  its  first  Railroad  Com- 
mission, and  the  Commission  itself  in  having  him  for  its 
Chairman.  It  was  in  this  service  that  I  knew  him  most 
intimately.  Our  conferences  and  discussions  of  new 
problems  confronting  the  State  are  among  my  most 
precious  memories.  It  was  inspiring  to  watch  him 
approach  a  new  subject,  he  was  so  frank  in  setting  up  all 
sides  of  the  question,  that  he  might  see  it  fairly.  He 
said  to  me  once,  in  discussing  some  decision  the  Com- 
mission must  hand  doAvn  which  involved  a  debatable 
principle  in  public  utility  relations:  "I  cannot  satisfy 
mj'^self  that  it  is  just  the  right  thing  to  do.  I  have  always 
preached  a  different  polic5\  But  it  is  perfect^  clear  to 
me  that  not  to  recognize  the  justice  of  the  claim  would 
be  wrong.  All  the  light  I  can  get  points  that  way.  If 
it  is  a  mistake,  we  shall  simply  have  to  guard  against  it 
in  the  future."  Mr.  Hemans  impressed  me  as  always 
conscious  of  the  fact  that  the  Michigan  Railroad  Com- 
mission was  establishing  precedents,  and  that  in  the 
interest  of  the  State  the  rights  of  all  parties  must  be 
carefully  guarded. 

Mr.  Hemans  was  deeply  interested  in  Michigan  history 
and  in  historical  matters  generally.  I  remember  so  well 
the  great  pleasure  he  gave  Dr.  James  B.  Angell  when  he 
delivered  the  address  at  the  unveiling  of  the  tablet  placed 

33 


on  Mason  Hall,  noAV  the  north  wing  of  University  Hall. 
The  Doctor  spoke  of  it  aftenvarcls  as  a  memorable  address, 
containing  facts  in  the  early  history  of  the  State  that 
could  be  knouTi  only  through  the  efforts  of  the  real 
student  of  history.  He  said:  "Tell  me  more  about 
Mr.  Hemans.  Why  haven't  I  known  him  better?"  It 
was  characteristic  of  Mr.  Hemans  that  his  chief  pleasure 
lay  in  seeking  knowledge  rather  than  in  displaying  it. 

How  ready  Mr.  Hemans  was  in  an  emergency,  and 
how  willing  to  render  service  is  well  known  to  all.  Seated 
in  my  office  one  day,  discussing  some  problem,  a  student 
came  in  to  remind  me  of  my  engagement  to  speak  to  the 
Freshman  class,  alreadj^  assembled.  I  said,  "Come  on 
Mr.  Hemans  and  meet  the  class  and  say  a  few  words  to 
them."  He  was  delighted,  and  in  less  than  three  minutes 
was  introduced  and  speaking.  He  made  a  splendid 
address.  He  was  like  a  father  talking  to  his  sons  on  their 
approach  to  manhood.  I  have  often  wished  I  could 
know  how  many  of  those  young  men  adopted  him  at 
once  for  their  mentor. 

His  was  an  untimely  death.  He  was  in  the  full  bloom 
of  manhood,  the  normal  span  of  life  barely  two-thirds 
run.  How  much  good  he  could  have  done  in  the  other 
third!  These  swiftly  changing  times  require  the  doing 
of  great  constructive  work  in  our  social  and  political 
life.  AVe  need  to  choose  the  best  things  from  all  civiliza- 
tions— present  and  past.  Mr.  Hemans,  with  his  keen 
insight  into  modern  conditions  and  knowledge  of  the 
old,  was  particularly  well  fitted  to  link  the  good  parts 
together.  To  those  of  us  who  knew  him  intimately', 
there  has  come  a  great  personal  loss;  but  however  great, 

34 


it  is  submerged  in   his  loss  to  the  people  of  Michigan, 
whose  faithful  servant  he  was  proud  to  be. 


Cfjarlcs  ^.  Cunutngf)am 

In  paying  tribute  to  Mr.  Hemans,  I  feel  that  it  will  he 
impossible  for  me  to  do  him  justice. 

For  upwards  of  twenty  3'ears  I  knew  him  only  by 
reputation  and  yet  from  what  I  gleaned  in  the  news- 
papers and  through  friends  of  his  and  previous  to  my 
personal  acquaintance  with  him  I  became  a  great  admirer 
of  him  as  a  statesman  and  an  American  citizen. 

I  first  met  him  in  the  year  1911  shortlj'  after  his  aj)- 
pointment  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  Railroad  ( 'om- 
mission.  At  that  time  I  was  associated  with  one  of  the 
leading  railroads  of  the  State  and  frequently  had  occasion 
to  appear  before  him  in  his  capacity  as  a  Commissioner; 
and  I  always  found  him  singularly  fair  and  fearless  in 
dealing  with  matters  that  he  was  called  to  pass  upon. 

In  the  year  1913  I  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  same 
Commission,  and  no  doubt  largely 'through  his  efforts; 
and  I  am  glad  to  say  that  as  I  became  better  acquainted 
with  him  I  learned  to  love  and  respect  him  more  and 
more  as  a  man  and  counselor. 

As  a  statesman  and  jurist  he  had  ver>^  few  (equals.  His 
honor  and  ability  could  not  be  questioned.  The  entire* 
United  States,  and  especially  the  State  of  Michigan,  met 
with  a  great  loss  when  the  final  call  came. 

As  a  member  of  this  Commission  I  feel  that  there 
never  will  be  another  member  who  will  deal  witii  inaUcMs 

35 


more  conscientiously,  fearlessly  or  impartially  than  did 
Mr.  Hemans.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  when  such  men  as 
Mr.  Hemans  come  before  the  public  for  election  to  office 
or  as  appointees,  they  will  be  placed  in  the  executive 
positions  where  they  can  render  this  government  the 
greatest  service. 

I  was  with  him  a  great  deal  during  his  several  years' 
illness,  and  his  chief  worry  was  his  physical  inability  to 
render  such  service  as  he  felt  was  due  to  the  State  of 
Michigan. 

I  have  often  heard  him  say,  with  tears  in  his  eyes: 
''Oh  if  I  could  only  have  the  strength  of  other  men  so  as 
to  cope  with  the  world  as  I  would  like  to  do!"  and  he 
usually  ended  by  saying:  "I  believe  that  the  majority 
of  the  people  know  that  I  am  doing  my  best,  regardless 
of  some  unfounded  criticisms." 

He  paid  sincere  tribute  to  his  good  and  noble  wife, 
alwaj'S  saying  that  she  was  his  inspiration  and  greatest 
help-mate. 


laaoobfariijgc  M-  Jfcrris 

(A  tribute  read  by  Mr.  Ferris  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Society  in  May  1916.) 

Hero-worship  is  as  old  as  civilization,  possibly  older. 
Not  a  few  wise  men,  in  modern  times,  discourage  hero- 
worship.  I  do  not  belong  to  that  class,  because  in  my 
€arly  j^outh,  by  mere  chance,  I  was  permitted  to  take  a 
well-worn  copy  of  the  "Autobiography  of  Benjamin 
Franklin ' '  from  the  remains  of  a  rural  school  library.  I 
read  and  re-read  this  book.     As  a  consequence,  I  became 

36 


a  worshipper  at  the  shrine  of  Frankhn.  I  asked  myself, 
forgetting  his  inheritance  of  brains,  "Why  can't  I  do 
something?"  Franklin  furnished  me  ^^dth  a  "self- 
starter."  During  my  forty-three  years  of  teaching  I 
have  tried  to  awaken  men  and  women  to  a  realization  of 
their  best  possibilities  by  making  them  acquainted  with 
the  lives  of  great  men  and  great  women, 

I  therefore  take  pleasure  in  presenting  to  the  peoj^le  of 
^iichigan  my  impressions  of  the  Hon.  Lawton  T.  Hemans. 

Mr.  Hem^ans  was  well  born.  His  ancestors  were  sturdy, 
industrious,  honest,  prudent,  loyal  God-fearing  people. 
He  did  not  have  the  misfortune  to  be  born  with  a  silver 
spoon  in  his  mouth.  He  was  reared  in  the  old-time 
home,  where  obedience,  self-sacrifice,  self-denial,  sobriety, 
integrity,  and  industry  were  enduring  virtues.  No  man 
acquires  an  education.  Education  comes  through  human 
development,  growth,  discipline,  observation,  constructive 
thinking,  assimilation  and  personal  contact  with  nature 
and  humanity.  Schools,  colleges  and  libraries  are  in- 
valuable helps.  There  is  no  school  quite  like  the  rural 
school  for  developing  individuality  and  self-reliance. 
From  the  rural  school  he  passed  into  Eaton  Rapids  High 
School  and  graduated  in  1884.  During  the  next  three 
years  he  taught  rural  schools  winters  and  did  farm  work 
summers.  This  experience  was  invaluable  because  it 
stimulated  his  love  for  humanity  and  brought  him  face 
to  face  with,  the  importance  of  self-control,  self-reliance, 
self-direction,  patience  and  courage. 

Mr.  Hemans  chose  law  for  his  profession,  lie  pursued 
the  method  for  preparation  then  in  vogue  l)y  reading 
law-  in  the  office  of  a  practititnier.     in  the  fall  of  1887  he 


1953 


entered  the  Law  Department  of  Michigan  University. 
In  1889  he  began  to  practice  his  profession  in  Eaton 
Rapids.  The  next  year  he  opened  an  office  in  Mason 
where  he  continued  his  work  as  a  lawyer  until  1910  at 
which  time  he  accepted  an  appointment  on  the  Michigan 
Railroad  Commission.  This  position  he  held  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  He  possessed  what  is  commonly  termed  a 
legal  mind.  His  attitude  towards  his  clients  was  like 
that  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  Law  was  not  a  means  for 
securing  an  advantage,  but  a  means  to  an  end,  that  end 
always  involving  equity  and  justice.  Litigation  for  the 
sake  of  litigation  he  could  not  tolerate.  He  had  a  special 
fondness  and  aptitude  for  law  relating  to  railroads  and 
public  utilities.  In  this  field  he  manifested  extraordinary 
ability. 

In  politics  he  was  a  Jeffersonian  Democrat.  In  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  he  found  the  rock  on  which 
to  build  his  political  philosophy.  Whether  a  candidate 
for  Mayor,  for  the  Legislature,  for  Governor,  he  never 
wandered  from  his  political  fundamentals  relating  to 
human  rights.  He  was  Mayor  of  Mason,  served  in  the 
Legislature  two  terms,  was  twice  candidate  for  Governor, 
was  a  member  of  the  State  Constitutional  Convention 
and  served  on  the  Mason  school  board  for  many  years. 
He  was  not  poUtically  ambitious.  Naturally,  he  was  of  a 
retiring  disposition.  He  disliked,  possibly  loathed  a 
political  campaign.  He  loved  Michigan,  but  it  was 
impossiljle  for  him  to  parade  his  own  qualifications  for 
any  office.  He  was  not  a  politician, — he  was  a  states- 
man, one  of  the  greatest  Michigan  has  ever  produced. 

38 


His  life  and  services  Have  established  an  ideal  that  the 
present  generation  cannot  afford  to  ignore. 

As  an  orator,  he  possessed  none  of  the  characteristics 
of  a  western  cyclone,  none  of  the  characteristics  that  are 
solely  pyrotechnical,  none  of  the  characteristics  of  the 
typical  "spell-binder."  In  his  speeches  he  always  said 
something  worth  while,  in  plain,  simple,  forceful  English. 
He  was  the  orator  who  always  commanded  attention, 
Avho  because  of  his  ardent  sincerit}'  carried  with  him  the 
respect  and  admiration  of  his  listeners.  It  is  needless 
to  saj-  that  he  hated  sham.  He  worshipped  at  the 
shrine  of  truth.  He  was  never  afflicted  with  the  mania 
for  acquiring  great  wealth.  Speculation  never  fascinated 
him  in  the  smallest  degree.  For  him  money  was  always 
a  means,  never  an  end.  He  devoted  himself  untiringh^ 
to  the  human  side  of  the  world's  great  activities.  He 
was  prudent  in  his  expenditures,  plain  and  modest  in  his 
dress,  generous  in  his  home,  and  always  ready  to  assist 
the  unfortunate. 

His  History  of  ^Michigan  reveals  his  simplicitj^  and 
sincerity,  his  precision  and  excellent  judgment.  Had 
he  turned  his  forces  into  the  field  of  American  historical 
research  he  would  have  achieved  high  honors.  He  loved 
books,  he  loved  nature,  and  could  he  have  followed  his 
innermost  longings  he  would  have  found  Heaven  in 
solitude,  a  solitude  that  centered  in  home,  always  open 
to  his  friends,  surrounded  by  God's  great  out-of-doors. 
In  his  nature  was  mingled  light  and  shadow.  He  ap- 
preciated humor,  consequently  he  was  at  times  oppressed 
by  the  tragedies  of  life.  He  was  keenly  sensitive  to 
adverse  criticism.     He  struggled  to  br  uiuli'istood.     lie 

39 


could  not  quite  understand  the  irreconcilable  faultfinder. 

His  friends  loved  him  because  of  his  frankness,  his 
loyalty,  his  brotherly  kindness  and  his  stalwart  integrity. 
His  surviving  -wife  and  son  have  in  the  precious  memories 
of  his  noble  life  a  priceless  legacy,  an  enduring  legacy. 
For  twenty-eight  years  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hemans  lived  and 
worked  together  making  the  world  better.  Mrs.  Hemans 
was  his  tower  of  strength,  his  daily  inspiration. 

Close  friends  of  Mr.  Hemans  believe  that  he  worked 
beyond  his  strength  in  his  first  campaign  for  Governor, 
in  1908.  In  his  suffering  he  was  heroic.  He  did  not, 
under  any  circumstances,  disclose  even  to  his  most 
intimate  friends  his  real  condition.  While  the  Grim 
Messenger  shadowed  him,  he  kept  on  working,  he  kept 
oil  serving  the  people  of  Michigan.  He  literally  gave 
his  life  for  Michigan. 

Michigan  needs  more  men  like  Mr.  Hemans.  In  his 
life  and  ideals  we  have  the  highest  type  of  American 
manhood. 

a     a 

My  association  with  Mr.  Hemans  began  when  he 
served  in  the  House  and  I  in  the  Senate  of  the  Michigan 
legislative  sessions  of  1901-03.  We  entertained  similar 
opinions  on  many  questions  and  often  worked  together 
for  the  passage  or  defeat  of  the  same  measure.  But 
when  Mr.  Hemans  came  to  the  Railroad  Commission,  it 
was  then  that  I  came  to  know  the  real  man.  In  the  many 
interesting  visits  enjoyed  after  office  hours  I  heard  much 
of  the  important  issues  of  life  in  which  he  was  interested,. 


and  I  became  the  recipient  of  many  confidences  through 
■uhich  I  was  permitted  to  see  behind  the  curtain  of  reserve 
by  which  he  appeared  to  be  separated  from  his  fellow 
men,  and  to  count  the  manj-  sterling  virtues  he  possessed 
which  shone  like  sparkling  gems  set  in  a  crowai  of  solid 
gold. 

He  was  a  man  who  cared  little  for  public  opinion  if  it 
were  at  variance  with  what  he  believed  to  be  right,  and 
yet  he  was  most  keenly  sensitive  to  unjust  criticism. 

In  his  sympathies  he  was  as  tender  as  a  woman,  yet 
in  denunciation  as  fearless  as  a  lion;  a  man  of  high  ideals, 
clean-cut  and  true,  full  of  initiative,  broad-gauged,  yet 
conservative,  one  who  entertained  positive  convictions 
■v\ith  always  a  reason  he  was  able  to  defend;  but  if  you 
disagreed  \\dth  him,  your  arguments  always  received 
courteous  attention  and  careful  consideration. 

He  was  a  man  who  despised  sham  and  trusted  his  real 
friends,  and  in  turn  was  trusted  by  them.  He  was 
possessed  of  an  abundance  of  humor;  able  to  tell,  also  to 
appreciate,  a  good  story.  He  was  a  valuable  public 
servant  because  of  his  unquestioned  integrity,  definite 
knowledge  of  State  affairs,  discerning  mind  and  sound 
judgment. 

In  his  death  the  State  lost  a  safe  counselor  and  good 
citizen,  and  the  writer  a  warm  personal  friend  whose 
association  will  ever  linger  as  a  pleasant  memory. 


41 


3aofacrt  M-  iWontgomcrp 

My  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Hemans  covered  a  period 
of  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century.  We  were  friends  during 
this  entire  period,  although  our  duties  led  us  along  separate 
paths.  Mr.  Hemans  was  engaged  actively  in  the  practice 
of  his  profession  interrupted  at  times  by  legislative  or 
administrative  duties  or  by  historical  research  or  writing, 
while  I  was  during  the  same  time  engaged  in  judicial 
work  as  a  member  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  wholly 
removed  from  the  activities  of  professional  practice  and 
politics.  The  very  fact  that  it  was  my  portion  to  enjoy 
rather  the  position  of  a  friendly  critic  and  admirer  enables 
me  now  to  place  a  more  accurate  estimate  on  his  character 
than  might  be  made  by  one  not  having  just  this  per- 
spective. 

From  this  vantage  ground  I  watched  the  career  of  Mr. 
Hemans  with  keen  interest.  The  impressions  which  his 
life  and  public  service  made  upon  me  were  so  lasting  and 
profound  that  I  can  not  regard  him  in  any  attitude  less 
serious  than  that  of  a  student,  a  WTiter,  a  public  servant, 
a  reformer,  a  crusader. 

My  special  attention  was  first  called  to  his  public 
services  when  Mr.  Hemans  was  chosen  from  the  Ingham 
District  as  a  member  of  the  State  House  of  Representa- 
tives. He  was  at  this  time  a  young  man,  indeed  I  think 
nearly  the  youngest  member  of  the  House.  He  very 
soon  gave  such  evidences  of  his  ability  that  his  party 
associates  yielded  to  him  the  position  of  party  leader  of 
the  minority  and  every  member  of  the  majority  accorded 

to   him   unstinted  respect  and  friendship.     During  this 

42 


service  he  disclosed  the  same  statesman-like  qualities 
which  afterwards  brought  him  greater  honors. 

]\Ir.  Hemans'  next  public  service  was  as  a  member  of 
the  Constitutional  Convention.  In  my  owti  apprecia- 
tion, his  service  there  rendered  was  most  tj^^ical  of  the 
man  and  the  most  enduring  of  any  of  his  public  services. 
This  body  was  non-partisan  in  its  composition  and  in 
my  judgment  has  never  been  excelled  in  character  or 
ability  by  any  gathering  of  corresponding  numbers  in 
the  State.  The  circumstances  under  which  the  election 
occurred  left  the  members  of  the  convention  whoUj' 
untrammeled  by  party  obligations  of  any  Idnd.  The 
occasion  therefore  furnished  everj'  opportunity  for  the 
exercise  of  Mr.  Hemans'  constructive  ability. 

As  was  predicted  in  advance  by  his  friends  and  l)y  all 
who  watched  his  course  in  the  Legislature  and  who  were 
familiar  with  his  student  habits,  his  historical  research, 
his  general  learning  and  his  equipment  as  a  constitutional 
la^^'3'er,  ^Nlr.  Hemans  at  once  took  front  rank  in  this 
convention  and  maintained  his  position  throughout  the 
session. 

His  commanding  ability  and  his  quahties  of  leadership 
were  so  apparent  that  he  was  from  this  time  on  regarded 
as  the  logical  candidate  of  his  party  for  Governor,  and  he 
could  doubtless  have  continued  such  leadership  in- 
definitely had  \\c  felt  it  just  to  himself  and  family  to  bear 
the  financial  strain  which  such  candidacy  imposetl. 

In  the  meantime  Mr.  Hemans  had  entered  the  field 
of  authorship  and  had  produced  a  History  of  Michigan 
which,  wliile  designed  for  a  school  text-book,  was  written 
in  his  usual   lucid  style  and  with  ])ainstaking  accuracy 

43 


and  was  so  extensively  read  throughout  the  State  as  to 
make  his  name  a  household  word. 

Mr.  Hemans  as  Railroad  Commissioner  honored  the 
position  as  he  had  those  he  had  previously  held  by  the 
vote  of  the  people.  He  gave  to  this  position  a  judicial 
tone.  There  was  no  effort  to  discriminate  for  or  against 
the  railroad  corporations,  but  to  demand  obedience  to 
the  law;  to  meet  out  jealously  and  fearlessly  exact  justice 
was  his  sole  purpose. 

Such  briefly  stated  is  the  record  of  an  ideal  public 
servant.  Mr.  Hemans'  character  was  well  rounded.  It 
is  well  known  that  he  was  intenseh^  human,  but  my  own 
picture  of  him  does  not  portray  him  as  being  even  tem- 
porarily diverted  by  frivolity  from  the  earnest  pursuit 
of  the  serious  business  which  he  felt  it  was  his  duty  to 
prosecute.  He  was  a  purposeful,  earnest,  constant  and 
ardent  worker  and  was  endowed  by  nature  with  a  logical 
acute  mind  and  a  healthy  imagination,  qualities  which 
constitute  genius  in  its  best  form. 

He  was  under  the  constant  spur  of  exalted  duty.  An 
obligation  to  the  community  or  the  State  was  felt  with  a 
force  only  equaled  bj^  that  which  controlled  him  in  his 
most  happy  familj^  relations.  He  detested  vice  and 
pursued  it  relentlessly.  He  was  a  statesman  of  the  old 
school,  battling  for  new  principles  but  at  the  same  time 
insisting  upon  conserving  the  essentials  of  a  stable  and 
lasting  government.  He  was  among  the  foremost  of  his 
generation  to  urge  and  work  for  practical  economy  and 
reform  in  the  State  government.  He  also  stood  in  the 
front  rank  of  those  who  have  insisted  upon  divorce  of 
the  saloon  from  politics.     I  think  it  can  be  truly  said 

44 


that  he  never  paused  before  taking  a  stand  on  anj^  pubUc 
question  to  ascertain  upon  which  side  the  greater  number 
stood  arrayed.  He  always  had  faith  in  the  people,  but 
liis  faith  rested  upon  an  instructed  electorate,  not  upon 
a  deluded  constituency.  He  was  not  deceived  into 
believing  that  the  people  were  always  right.  Had  he 
entertained  any  such  views  his  public  services  would 
never  have  been  rendered.  He  was  not  one  to  drift 
with  the  tide.  He  believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  lead  the 
people.  It  is  because  of  this  belief  that  he  was  able  to 
leave  the  impress  of  a  great  man  and  a  patriot  upon  the 
history  of  his  State. 


(The  following  tribute,  prepared  by  Mr.  Louis  E.  Rowley  ami 
intended  to  be  read  by  him  at  the  funeral  sei'vice  for  Mr. 
Hemans,  was  read  on  that  occasion  by  the  minister  in  charge, 
Rev.  W.  H.  Simmons,  Mr.  Rowley  being  overcome  with  iiricf 
and  unable  to  proceed) 

I  have  come  here  today  to  speak  a  word  of  tribute  to 
the  memory  of  a  man  who  by  his  simplicity  of  character,, 
straightforwardness  of  thinking,  selfless  enthusiasm  for- 
good  public  causes,  and  decisiveness  in  the  presence  of 
responsibility,  had  raised  himself  to  a  first  place  in  the 
affection  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

"A  great  statesman,"  said  a  famous  English  puljlicisi, 
"is  a  man  of  common  opinions  and  uncommon  abilities." 

This  profoundly  acute  observation  api)lies  with  jieculiar 
force  to  Lawton  T.  Hemans.  He  had  that  deei)!y  con- 
.servative  belief  in  that  most  ancient  of  institutions,  the 

45 


average  man,  which  goes  by  the  name  of  democracy. 
It  was  not  only  a  strongly  held,  but  closely  reasoned 
creed;  it  was  also  an  instinct,  a  vital  part  of  the  man 
himself,  the  sincerity  of  which  was  b'eyond  question. 
His  patriotism  was  of  the  good  old-fashioned  sort,  which, 
like  charitj^,  begins  at  home.  He  hafl  none  of  that  kind 
of  patriotism  which  assumes  that  the  sentiment  does  not 
exist  in  other  people.  There  was  no  sham,  no  glitter, 
no  cant,  in  Lawton  T.  Hemans,  but  a  singleness  of  pur- 
pose, a  supremacy'  of  intelligence,  and  a  magnanimity 
of  action  which  temptation  could  not  influence  and 
weakness  never  marked  with  a  blot. 

High-principled,  resolute,  modest,  free  from  vanity 
and  pettiness  of  spirit,  no  public  man  in  Michigan  has 
ever  lived  up  to  a  purer  or  more  austere  ideal.  He  was 
no  hasty-spirited  reformer,  but  was  endowed  with  that 
"divine  moderation"  which  is  one  of  the  cardinal  virtues 
of  high  statesmanship.  He  was  philosopher  enough  to 
know  that  the  present  is  but  a  link  between  the  past  and 
the  future — that  "governments  have  not  been  success- 
fully and  permanently  changed  except  by  slow  modifica- 
tion operating  from  generation  to  generation;"  and  he 
i:)ut  his  faith  only  in  realizable  ideals. 

It  requires  not  an  abnormal  genius  to  be  a  useful 
statesman.  It  requires  no  more  than  clearness,  honesty 
and  courage;  and  these  qualities  La^^i:on  T.  Hemans 
possessed  in  an  unwonted  degree.  - 

By  consequence  he  became  not  onh^  the  trusted  leader 
of  his  party,  but  one  of  the  greatest  individual  con- 
structive forces  of  the  State.  In  the  Legislature,  in  the 
Constitutional    Convention,    and    as    Chairman    of    the 


State  Railroad  Commission,  he  stood  forth  a  commanding 
and  inspiring  figure.  ''Great  men,"  said  Emerson,  "have 
been  perceivers  of  the  tenor  of  Ufe,  and  have  manned 
themselves  to  face  it."  La^^i;on  T.  Hemans  was  a  man 
of  truth  and  facts;  he  was  also  a  man  of  intuition  and 
vision.  He  saw  life  steadily  and  as  a  whole,  and  he  had 
the  seer-like  power  to  comprehend  the  deeper  forces 
which  move  it. 

In  his  breadth  of  human  sympathy,  his  simple  probity, 
and  his  quiet  native  humor,  he  was  without  a  peer  among 
the  political  leaders  of  Michigan.  He  had  a  fund  of 
illustrative  anecdote  like  Lincoln.  His  natural  gifts  and 
his  attaimnents  were  such  as  distinguished  him  in  every 
circle  that  he  entered,  and  he  had,  besides,  a  rare  faculty 
for  attracting  other  men  to  him  by  ties  which  were  seldom 
loosened  by  political  or  other  differences. 

Although  a  sufferer  for  many  years  from  an  incurable 
malady,  an  inborn  force  and  tranquility  of  mind  bore 
him  up,  and  amid  thick-coming  shapes  of  ill  he  bated  no 
jot  of  devotion  to  duty.  His  career  during  this  period 
of  his  life  furnishes  one  of  the  lofty  and  exhilarating 
public  examples  of  our  day. 

Happy  the  State  which  can  stand  beside  the  open  grave 
of  a  great  man,  without  a  cloud  upon  its  pride  at  having 
had  such  a  son.  Hapi^y  the  peojole  in  whose  day  and 
generation  such  an  example  of  personal  and  public  virtue 
and  of  manly  life-long  fidelity  to  every  obligation  has 
been  produced.  Happy  the  age  which  has  possessed  a 
citizen  of  such  generosity  and  such  heroism,  in  friendshij) 
so  genial,  in  integrity  so  complete.  And  happy  above  all, 
ill    the   midst  of  their  sorrow,   are  the   friends  and  the 

47 


family,  the  nearest  and  dearest  of  the  departed,  m  the 
consciousness  that  the  one  they  loved  and  mourn  for  was 
not  merely  great  and  potent  in  the  service  of  his  State 
and  his  party,  but  was  equally  true,  affectionate,  gentle, 
sincere  and  spotless  in  every  relation  of  life. 


Mr.  Hemans  was  not  only  a  true*  statesman,  but  a 
great  friend.  His  personality  appealed  to  the  heart  as 
his  eloquence  and  intellect  appealed  to  the  head. 

He  thought  in  terms  of  pubHc  business  as  most  men 
think  in  terms  of  dollars.  like  most  men,  he  frequently 
could  have  used  to  advantage  more  money  than  he  found 
available,  but  the  mere  making  of  money  he  held  to  be 
"a  vulgar  talent."  Humanity  was  his  greatest  treasure, 
and  democracy  his  instrument  for  serving  it;  for  democ- 
racy he  conceived  to  be  the  party  of  the  people.  It  was 
this  unswerving  faith  in  his  fellowmen  that  won  him  so 
much  of  their  support  irrespective  of  party,  and  made 
him  Mayor  of  Mason,  minority  leader  in  the  House  of 
Representatives,  delegate  to  the  Constitutional  Con- 
vention, and  a  candidate  for  Governor  in  two  campaigns 
that  seriously  challenged  the  Republican  tradition  in 
Michigan. 

He  suffered  keenly  from  any  careless  criticism  of  his 
public  work,  but  he  endured  it  bravely,  refusing  to  be 
deflected  one  step  from  the  course  he  believed  to  be  just, 
be  it  popular  or  unpopular.  There  never  was  a  time  when 
he  would  not  have  retired  from  any  public  position  if  he 

48 


had  been  once  convinced  that  the  pubUc  Avould  have  been 
benefited.  "  What  they  say  about  me,"  he  once  remarked 
to  the  writer,  "will  not  hurt  anybody  personally  except 
me,  but  I  am  concerned  for  the  welfare  of  the  institution 
known  as  the  Michigan  Railroad  Commission,"  of  which 
he  was  then  chairman. 

He  loved  every  foot  of  Michigan,  expressing  his  af- 
fection in  a  fugitive  verse  betimes  in  his  younger  da\^s 
and  usually  concealing  it  from  profane  eyes,  or  in  writing 
a  school  history  of  his  State,  or  m  recovering  the  remains 
of  our  first  Governor  and  giving  them  perpetual  commem- 
oration, or  in  doing  battle  in  the  political  forum  for  his 
convictions  on  sound  public  policy.  Many  of  his  political 
opponents  will  testify  that  he  could  fight  but  could  not 
hate,  and  woe  to  the  adversary  who  faced  him  in  debate. 
He  was  as  ready  with  a  t\Ninkling  story,  or  a  razor-edged 
epigram,  as  with  the  logic  of  wisdom. 

He  has  left  to  Michigan  an  example  in  public  life  that 
will  bear  emulation,  and  a  charm  of  private  character  to 
be  envied. 

o     o 

(A  tribute  spoken  at  the  funeral  service  for  Mr.  Hemans) 

No  man  can  attain  and  hold  the  respect  of  the  com- 
munity in  which  he  lives  without  the  element  of  real 
worth  in  his  character.  The  years  have  come  and  gone, 
and  our  brother  taken  j"rom  us  has  lived  his  life  in  the 
surroundings  which  today  know  him;  and  the  tribute  of 
respect  that  is  paid  in  the  gathering  of  this  assembly, 
in  the  flower  tokens  with  their  wealth  of  messages,  speak 

-ID 


to  us  not  only  of  the  respect  for  ])iit  of  the  real  wortli  of 
the  character.  I  could  wish  that  a  worthier  tongue  than 
mine  might  today  at  least  undertake  to  voice  the  senti- 
ment that  is  in  your  hearts,  and  in  some  way  give  word 
to  that  which  you  have  tried  to  speak,  that  there  might 
come  in  the  effort  at  least  some  sense  that  the  longing 
and  struggling  of  your  souls  had  been  satisfied. 

There  is  no  measuring  the  worth  of  a  great  soul.  Every- 
where there  is  a  voice,  more  constant  than  any  human 
voice,  a  voice  that  speaks  louder  than  any  word,  a  voice 
that  is  ever  expressing  itself,  speaking  in  the  family  of 
love  and  companionship,  telling  over  and  over  again  to 
the  dear  ones  of  the  family  the  old,  old  message  of  love 
and  appreciation, — standing  as  the  all-powerful  and  yet 
silent  monitor  that  reaches  down  to  the  boys  and  girls 
of  the  family,  and  thus  speaking  calls  them  to  higher 
living  and  nobler  things,  to  fulfill  ,the  ambition  and 
purpose  of  the  life  which  is  cut  off.  It  has  its  influence 
and  its  power  in  the  community,  and  reaches  out,  a 
constant  though  silent  admonition  to  stand  for  the  high 
things  that  he  who  has  gone  has  stood  for. 

I  wish  this  afternoon  that  I  might  in  some  way  speak 
of  some  of  the  things  that  I  knew  in  connection  with  the 
life  of  Mr.  Hemans,  and  possibly  of  some  of  the  things 
that  some  of  you  may  never  have  had  the  opportunity 
of  witnessing.  Three  weeks  ago  today  I  had  occasion 
in  the  preaching  of  a  sermon  to  use  the  life  of  Mr.  Hemans 
as  an  illustration,  without  knowing  or  surmising  that 
this  soon  I  might  be  called  upon  to  officiate  in  this  capacity. 
The  thing  of  which  I  spoke  was  ''trustworthiness."  I 
did  not  always  agree  with  Mr.  Hemans,  nor  he  with  me; 

50 


but  this  splendid  thing  is  true  that  would  knit  my  heart 
to  any  individual  where  I  found  it,  that  I  never  had  oc- 
casion for  even  a  moment  to  question  the  integrity  of 
the  man.  I  knew  where  I  might  find  him  when  he  had 
expressed  to  me  his  sentiment,  and  what  action  I  might 
expect  from  him  on  any  question.  I  knew  that  he  would 
be  true  to  his  word,  and  that  I  would  find  him  standing 
exactly  where  he  indicated.  He  stood  with  a  devoted- 
ness  of  purpose;  he  stood  with  earnestness  for  the  things 
that  he  believed  to  be  right. 

When  I  was  practically  a  stranger  in  this  community 
and  surrounding  country',  Mr.  Hemans  was  in  the  Legis- 
lature, the  leader  of  the  minority  in  the  House.  There 
Avere  some  things  on  which  I  was  anxious  to  hear  him 
because  of  knowing  that  he  was  to  take  a  certain  stand; 
and,  what  might  be  common  to  you,  I  saw  the  House  in 
seeming  disorder;  men  were,  speaking  their  ideas  and 
getting  practically  no  attention  whatever.  I  never 
heard  Mr.  Hemans  speak  in  the  House  but  that  he  had 
the  perfect  attention  of  everj'  one  in  the  House.  He 
commanded  the  attention  and  respect  of  all;  and  when 
I  tried  to  fathom  the  "why,"  I  knew  that  it  was  for  more 
than  a  splendid  voice;  I  knew  that  it  was  for  more  than 
clearness  of  logic.  I  was  conscious  that  underneath  it 
all  there  was  an  earnestness  of  purpose  and  an  intensity 
of  conviction  that  made  him  stand  for  the  things  which 
he  was  standing.  His  was  a  voice  of  conscience;  it  was  a 
reasoning  along  the  line  of  truth  as  he  saw  the  truth. 

I  wish  to  give  you  another  picture:  One  day  my 
telephone  rang,  and  it  was  Mr.  Hemans.  He  says, 
''There  is  a  certain  family  that  is  in  need  of  such  service 

51 


as  you  can  render,  and  if  you  are  at  liberty  I  would  like 
to  have  you  call  with  me  at  a  certain  place."  I  answered 
quickly  and  came  to  his  home  here,  and  then  he  went 
with  me  to  this  place  which  he  had  indicated.  I  saw  the 
sorrow  and  I  might  almost  say  the  despair;  I  saw  the 
greatness  of  the  need,  and  as  I  tried  to  bring  some  word 
of  sympathy  and  some  word  of  help,  this  man,  whose 
mind  was  filled  with  the  things  of  state  and  things  of 
livelihood,  I  saw  his  arm  silently  steal  about  the  form  of 
the  little  girl  in  the  home  and  drawing  her  closely  to  his 
side  he  spoke  to  her  words  of  tender  sympathy  that  her 
child  mind  and  child  heart  could  appreciate,  and  this  if 
I  had  never  seen  anything  else  would  have  tied  my  heart 
to  the  heart  and  life  of  Lawton  T.  Hemans.  And  in  that 
home,  as  we  knelt  in  praj^er,  this  man  concerning  whom 
there  have  come  the  tributes  from  the  east  and  the  west 
and  the  north  and  south  that  he  was  a  great  man,  showed 
his  greatness  by  kneeling  in  that  home  of  need  with  me, 
a  pastor  and  minister,  while  we  sought  the  presence  and 
the  blessing  of  God.  His  not  only  was  a  heart  and  a 
life  that  was  trustworthy,  but  his  was  a  heart  that  was 
full  of  the  spirit  of  sympathy  and  full  of  the  spirit  of 
kindness,  and  for  the  needy  he  had  a  kindly  thought;  for 
the  needy  he  had  the  spirit  of  ministry. 

And  then  I  came  near  to  Mr.  Hemans  in  some  ways  in 
the  matter  of  personal  conversation  with  him,  and  it 
would  not  be  anything  out  of  the  way  when  I  say  that  in 
his  way  at  least  he  opened  his  heart  to  me  about  the 
things  of  the  past,  and  the  worry  of  a  mother  for  him 
when  he  was  a  bo^^  He  opened  his  heart  to  me  con- 
cerning his  anxiety  for  his  own  boy,  as  he  said,  "He  is 

52 


passing  through  the  time  that  is  the  danger  period  for 
every  boy  and  I  am  particularly  anxious  to  keep  him." 
And  so  he  spoke  of  these  things  that  were  near  to  his 
heart;  he  spoke  of  the  things  that  were  of  interest  to  him 
as  he  looked  upon  the  community,  and  as  he  looked  upon 
the  young  life  of  the  conmiunity,  and,  as  he  said,  "The 
fact  that  I  have  a  boy  gives  me  a  heart  for  every  boy  in 
the  community,  and  I  want  the  best  things  that  I  can 
have  in  the  community  for  the  boys  of  the  community. 
I  want  to  stand  for  high  things."  And  so  my  heart 
touched  his  and  his  heart  mine  as  we  talked  of  some  of 
these  things  that  are  the  common  things  of  life;  that  are 
part  of  the  common  heart  and  common  interest,  talked 
of  perhaps  in  a  common  way,  but  in  the  very  clearness 
of  time  indicating  the  clearness  of  the  thought,  the  great- 
ness of  the  affection. 

If  I  were  to  try  to  measure  the  life  and  character  of 
Lawi;on  T.  Hemans  from  a  political  standpoint,  it  seems 
to  me  I  might  approach  this  character  and  still  find 
written  in  it  the  elements  of  greatness.  To  my  mind 
Lawton  T.  Hemans  was  not  a  politician  in  the  commonly 
accepted  meaning  of  the  term;  while  he  was  in  politics, 
and  while  he  had  to  deal  Avith  political  questions,  he  was 
more  than  a  politician.  His  work  was  of  the  order  of 
statesmanship;  his  was  the  mind  that  loved  to  grapple 
not  Avith  the  methods  of  political  maneuvering,  but  with 
clear  thinking  upon  great  questions  that  had  to  do  with 
the  public  good,  with  the  building  up  of  government  on 
solid  foundations.  His  was  a  mind  that  looked  for  the 
good  that  he  might  do  to  others,  and  for  the  good  that 

5:'. 


they  might  receive  from  the  operations  of  the  best  that 
is  in  government. 

If  I  were  to  examine  his  hfe  and  estimate  it  from  the 
standpoint  of  his  hkes  and  desires,  I  would  have  to  put 
upon  it  the  stamp  of  beauty  as  well  as  the  stamp  of 
greatness.  I  would. ask  you  simply  to  come  and  look  at 
his  books;  and  looking  at  his  books,  to  judge  the  man. 
Not  the  frivolous  things;  not  the  light  things;  but  the 
things  that  inspired;  the  things  that  gripped  with  a  sense 
of  nobility;  the  things  that  made  the  man  rise  to  the 
higher  power  within  him,  and  to  give  his  life  splendidly 
and  earnestly  to  these  great  things.  He  was  a  great 
reader,  and  I  was  impressed  once  as  speaking  of  some 
books  which  he  had  just  recently  bought,  he  said,  "I 
make  it  a  rule  never  to  buy  another  book  until  I  have 
read  the  last  book  which  I  bought" — and  if  you  are  to 
judge  him  from  this  standpoint  you  will  marvel  at  the 
wideness  of  his  reading,  and  the  wideness  of  his  thinking; 
for  he  read  splendidly  as  well  as  thought  splendidly. 

If  you  judge  his  character  from  the  standpoint  of  the 
things  that  he  did  and  that  he  tried  to  do,  you  will  find 
a  great  service  to  the  State  of  Michigan;  he  prepared  a 
history  of  the  State  that  has  come  to  be  widely  used  in 
the  schools;  he  turned  the  tides  of  patriotism  and  loyalty 
into  the  realms  of  service,  and  was  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing back  to  the  State  of  Michigan  for  interment  the  body 
of  its  first  Governor,  Stevens  T.  Mason,  the  Boy  Governor 
of  Michigan. 

Not  only  may  we  judge  him  from  the  standpoint  of  his 
reading,  but  if  we  turn  to  the  pictures  and  judge  the  man. 
by  the  pictures  that  he  loved,  we  find  that  they  embody 

54 


the  great  tilings  of  religion,  the  great  things  of  nature, 
the  great  things  of  literature,  and  he  loved  these  things 
with  the  love  that  inspires  to  that  which  is  noble.  We 
turn  again  to  the  things  of  nature, — no  man  perhaps  loved 
flowers  better  than  LaAvton  T.  Hemans.  "Many,  many 
times,"  his  son  said  to  me  yesterday,  "I  think  hundreds 
of  times  I  have  seen  father  stop  as  he  was  coming  dowii 
the  street  and  pick  a  pink  just  below  here  and  put  it  in 
his  buttonhole."  He  was  a  lover  of  flowers.  They 
ministered  to  him.  He  found  his  delight  in  cultivating 
these  things  of  nature;  and  so,  as  we  turn  our  minds  in 
these  various  directions,  we  find  that  they  all  speak  of 
the  greatness  of  this  man. 

I  can  not  cease  without  speaking  of  tlie  unselfishness  of 
the  man.  His  last  thought  was  not  for  self,  but  for  wife 
and  son  and  mother.  I  am  glad  to  bring  you  this  word : 
Just  a  little  before  he  passed  away,  when  the  wife  of  his 
bosom,  the  companion  of  his  life,  came  into  his  room  and 
placed  her  hand  upon  his  head, — calling  her  name,  he 
said,  "This  is  your  hand.  I  can  tell  it  from  all  the 
others:"  and  in  a  labored  way  he  said — "Everything  is 
all  right  between  me  and  my  friends,"  and  then  waiting, 
he  said,  "And  everything  is  all  right  between  me  and 
God."  Beautiful  testimony!  And  then  ho  dictated  this, 
which  you  all  have  read : 

"My  whole  life  has  been  guided  by  a  sense 

of  duty  which  I  have  met  unflinchingly.     There 

have  been  times,  however,  that  re(|uired  moral 

"strength.     No     other     course    would     lead     to 

ultimate  success." 

And  now  1  shall  bring  one  more  word,  for  an  hour  like 

55 


this  would  be  unbearable  Avere  it  not  that  to  the  heart 
that  turns  toward  God  there  comes  back  a  word  from 
Him  that  holds,  that  leads,  and  that  makes  hfe  more 
worth  hving,  fills  it  fuller  of  joy.  Our  Savior  said, 
"  Come  unto  me  all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavily  laden, 
and  I  will  give  you  rest.  Take  my  yoke  upon  you  and 
lean  on  me,  for  I  am  meek  and  lowly  in  heart  and  ye 
shall  find  rest  unto  your  souls."  And  after  the  weeks 
.and  the  months  that  ran  on  into  the  j^ears  of  sickness  and 
pain,  our  friend  was  ready  for  rest.  His  soul  reached  out 
for  relief,  and  blessed  experience  was  it  that  when  the 
end  came  it  could  find  him  saying,  "I  am  not  concerned 
for  myself,  I  could  vdsh  to  be  at  rest." 

a     a 

ebluin  :If.  ^bjcet 

Among  the  many  men  of  unusual  ability  and  fine 
character  I  have  known  in  Michigan,  both  in  private  and 
in  public  life,  no  one  has  more  strongly  attracted  my 
admiration  or  personal  regard  than  La'v\i;on  T.  Hemans. 

Himself  an  ideal  citizen,  his  life  was  spent  in  a  con- 
tinuous and  successful  effort  to  elevate  the  citizenshiji 
of  his  State  and  country.  He  regarded  official  position 
not  merely  as  a  public  trust  but  as  an  opportunity^  for 
greater  accomplishment.  He  would  have  made  an  ex- 
cellent Governor.  His  familiarity  vdih  the  history  of 
Michigan,  his  sound  judgment,  his  sympathy  with  that 
part  of  the  community  which  is  least  able  to  care  for 
itself,  and  his  burning  desire  to  perform  valuable  service 
would  have  insured  an  administration  of  rare  value  to 
the  State. 

56 


He  was  a  party  man  because  he  thoroughly  believed  in 
the  principles  of  the  political  party  to  which  he  belonged, 
but  he  was  not  a  partisan  in  any  narroAv  sense.  In  his 
two  gubernatorial  campaigns  he  made  the  most  of  his 
opportunity  to  educate  the  public  on  State  and  national 
affairs  and  to  inculcate  doctrines  and  principles  which 
made  his  hearers  better  men  and  better  citizens. 

If  party  inequality  in  numerical  strength  rarely  permits 
the  election  to  pubhc  office  of  such  men  as  Mr.  Hemans 
who  do  not  happen  to  belong  to  the  stronger  party,  it 
is  still  worth  something  to  have  men  of  his  type  candi- 
dates for  office,  for  in  their  discussion  of  public  questions, 
in  their  calm  and  courteous  criticism  of  opponents,  and 
in  their  avoidance  of  the  tricks  and  sharp  practices  of 
the  petty  politician,  they  set  the  pace  for  others,  and  to 
such  men  is  largely  due  the  credit  for  the  steady  im- 
provement in  political  standards  so  noticeable  in  our 
national  life  during  the  past  quarter  of  a  century. 

In  accepting  the  nomination  for  Governor  the  second 
time,  he  made  a  personal  sacrifice  and  a  concession  to  his 
overmastering  sense  of  duty.  He  was  in  no  physical 
condition  to  enter  a  Statewide  campaign,  which  he  knew 
from  experience  would  draw  heavily  upon  his  vitality. 

One  of  his  first  speeches  in  that  campaign — I  think  the 
\ery  first — was  made  in  Cirund  Rapids.  It  was  a  speech 
remarkable  for  its  statesmanlike  breadth  of  view,  full  of 
food  for  thought,  sound  in  doctrine,  logical  in  sequence, 
and  vigorous  and  effective  in  delivery,  in  fact  one  of  the 
strongest  and  most  convincing  speeches  l(ever  heard 
him  make. 

None  except  those  who  knew  him  well  and  W(M'e  sitting 

57 


nearby  could  possibly  understand  the  terrible  physical 
strain  under  which  he  labored  or  the  tremendous  will- 
power he  was  exercising  by  being  on  the  platform  at  all. 
At  the  close  of  the  meeting  I  accompanied  him  to  his 
hotel,  and  only  then  did  I  fully  realize  the  extent  of  his 
exhaustion.  I  have  ever  since  regarded  this  as  the  most 
remarkable  demonstration  of  pluck  that  ever  came 
within  my  personal  observation. 

If  my  conception  of  this  truly  great  man  had  to  be 
condensed  into  a  single  word,  that  word  would  be  "Sin- 
cerity." To  be,  rather  than  to  seem,  to  deserve  rather 
than  to  receive,  to  do  good  to  others  without  a  single 
thought  of  securing  credit  of  well  doing,  to  love  the 
genuine  and  detest  the  sham — these  are  some  of  the 
qualities  which  made  his  character  beautiful  and  which 
marked  him  among  his  fellows  as  a  singularly  noble, 
sincere,  and  manly  man. 

Michigan  is  a  better  State  because  his  home  was  here. 
The  young  men  of  Michigan  are  blessed  with  higher 
ideals  because  he  lived  and  because  they  have  known 
what  manner  of  man  he  was.  Thousands  of  Michigan 
voters,  old  and  young,  regardless  of  party  ties,  paid 
tribute  to  his  sterling  character. 

He  was  a  statesman  who  elevated  the  standard  of 
public  service.  He  was  a  historian  who  played  no  un- 
important part  in  making  history.  He  was  a  citizen  of 
the  commonwealth  who  cligTiified  citizenship  and  en- 
riched the  commonwealth  with  something  money  can  not 
buy — the  lasting  benefit  of  an  unblemished  example. 


5S 


The  best  estimate  of  a  public  man's  character  is  em- 
bodied in  the  regard  in  which  he  is  held  by  his  personal 
associates.  These  are  the  men  who  are  qualified  to 
differentiate  between  character  and  reputation.  What 
a  public  man  is,  and  what  the  general  public  think  he  is, 
are  two  separate  and  distinct  things,  and  yet  in  the  life 
of  La\\i:on  T.  Hemans  we  have  a  record  of  real  character 
that  measures  up  to  the  loftiest  of  reputations. 

My  intimate  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Hemans  began 
during  his  first  campaign  for  Governor,  in  1908,  and  by 
reason  of  the  fact  that  I  was  Chairman  of  the  State 
Central  Committee  that  conducted  his  campaign  our 
relations  were  unusually  close  during  that  memorable 
contest.  It  was  conducted  with  the  most  meager  finan- 
cial assistance,  the  great  asset  being  the  candidate's  high 
character,  evident  sincerity  of  purpose,  and  the  manifest 
unselfish  nature  of  his  appeal.' 

That  he  overtaxed  his  physical  strength  in  that  cam- 
paign I  believe  all  his  intimates  reaUze.  Day  and  night 
he  delivered  his  message  to  the  people  with  a  candor  and 
frankness  so  plain  and  convincing  that  at  times  the  logic 
of  his  argument  arose  to  the  grandeur  of  an  eloquence 
that  was  sublime. 

There  were  none  of  the  tricks  of  the  demagogue  with 
Mr.  Hemans.  He  was  as  honest  in  thought  as  in  action. 
His  convictions  were  deeply  rooted,  but  he  was  not  a 
narrow  partisan,  as  we  know  partisans  in  general.  He 
was  a  patriot  in  the  highest  sense;  a  citizen  with  the 
highest   ideals  of  governmental  faith  and  pul)lic  service. 

Possessed    of    a    lovable    disposition,    imbued    wilii    a 

59 


kindly  attitude  towards  his  opponents,  he  could  not 
understand  the  bitterness  and  unjust  criticism  that  are 
so  often  exemplified  in  the  heat  of  political  strife  and  in  the 
relations  between  the  public  and  the  State's  servants. 
No  man  could  have  had  less  occasion  to  fear  searching 
criticism  of  his  course  than  Mr.  Hemans;  yet  he  was 
keenly  sensitive  to  it,  because  he  was  profoundly  con- 
scious that  it  was  unmerited. 

As  Mayor  of  his  city,  Legislator,  Member  of  the  Con- 
stitutional Convention,  and  Commissioner  of  Railroads, 
Lawton  T.  Hemans  contributed  distinguished  service  to 
his  State,  and  at  a  time,  too,  when  conspicuous  effort 
could  only  be  rendered  by  a  man  of  commanding  force 
and  exceptional  virtues.  As  a  student  of  Michigan 
history  he  probably  had  no  superior,  and  that  gave  him 
an  equipment  for  iniblic  service  that  was  unsurpassed. 
Looking  back  over  the  history  of  this  commonwealth, 
so  far  as  I  have  personally  observed  it,  I  know  of  no 
man  who  has  labored  more  zealously  for  the  uplift  of  its 
people  or  the  advancement  of  its  political  morals.  • 

It  is  an  appreciated  privilege  to  pen  these  few  words 
as  a  wreath  of  remembrance  for  one  who  will  always  rank 
among  Michigan's  really  great,  loyal,  noble  and  revered 
citizens. 

o     o 

Lawton  T.  Hemans  was  born  for  imblic  service.  Had 
Jie  lived  in  the  days  preceding  the  American  Revolution 
his  name  would  Avithout  doubt  have  appeared  as  one  of 
the  signatures  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence.     He 

GO 


was  of  the  type  of  the  old-school  statesmen  and  patriots. 
He  believed  it  his  duty  to  give  real  service  to  his  State 
and  his  country. 

Had  he  lived  in  a  State  where  his  party  was  in  the 
ascendancy  it  would  have  bestowed  upon  him  its  highest 
honors.  The  United  States  Senate  has  room  for  men  of 
the  character  and  eminent  ability  of  Mr.  Hemans.  Had 
he  been  a  Republican  in  his  political  affiliations,  it  is 
certain  Michigan  would  have  used  his  splendid  attain- 
ments as  Governor  or  United  States  Senator,  or  both. 
After  twenty-five  years  of  close  association  with  him, 
the  writer  can  testify  to  his  sterling  honor,  his  beautiful 
ideals  of  friendship,  his  absolute  candor  and  intense 
hatred  of  cant  and  hypocrisy,  his  charity  and  fairness  in 
passing  judgment,  his  generous  nature  and  forgiving 
disposition,  his  love  of  his  home  and  family,  his  pride  in 
Michigan  and  its  romantic  history,  his  profound  respect 
for  the  constitution,  the  law,  and  the  judiciary,  his  keen 
interest  in  current  public  affairs,  his  unfailing  loyalty  to 
his  party  and  the  principles  of  its  founder,  Thomas 
Jefferson. 

As  leader  of  the  minority  in  the  Legislature  he  com- 
manded the  respect  of  his  colleagues;  as  a  member  of  the 
Constitutional  Convention  he  rendered  constructive  and 
lasting  service  to  the  State;  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan 
Railroad  Commission  he  gave  to  the  work  conscientious 
and  faithful  endeavor,  persisting  in  performing  his  part 
of  the  work  for  months  after  his  strength  had  become 
exhausted.  In  the  Democratic  National  Convention  at 
Baltimore  in  1912  as  a  delegate  at  large  he  was  a  com- 
manding figure.     Despite   threats   and   attempts   at   co- 

61 


ercion  he  stood  manfully  by  his  convictions,  voting  on 
several  ballots  for  Judson  Harmon  of  Ohio,  and  later 
changing  to  Woodrow  Wilson. 

The  regard  with  which  Lawton  T.  Hemans  was  held  in 
Michigan  is  shown  bj^  the  vote  he  received  for  Governor 
in  1908.  The  number  of  votes  cast  for  him  in  that 
election  stands  out  as  a  tribute  to  the  man,  not  only  by 
his  own  party  but  by  the  thousands  of  independent 
voters  and  those  of  opposite  political  faith  who  named 
him  as  their  choice  for  the  highest  office  in  the  State 
because  they  believed  in  him  as  a  man. 

As  a  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Michigan 
Pioneer  and  Historical  Society  he  gave  for  j^ears  his  best 
efforts  to  preserve  historical  material  pertaining  to 
]\Iichigan,  and  later  as  a  member  of  the  Michigan  His- 
torical Commission  he  was  an  important  factor  during 
its  organization  and  formative  period.  His  History  of 
Michigan,  as  well  as  his  Life  of  Governor  Stevens  T. 
Mason,  together  with  his  other  literary  productions  have 
made  for  him  an  enduring  place  as  a  scholar  and  authority 
upon  matters  connected  with  Michigan  and  the  Old 
Northwest. 

Alas!  What  a  sad  and  premature  death,  just  at  the 
threshold  of  his  usefulness.  His  life  should  be  an  in- 
spiration for  years  to  come  as  an  example  of  the  eminence 
attained  by  a  Michigan  boy  born  in  humble  circum- 
stances who  by  earnest  study  and  industry,  coupled 
with  a  pure  life,  strove  to  advance  the  highest  ideals  of 
citizenship.  Michigan  owes  a  debt  to  Lawton  T.  Hemans 
who  literally  sacrificed  his  life  in  her  service. 


62 


^electeb  ^otmsi  of  0iv.  Remans 


«3 


Manhood 

In  life's  fierce  contested  battle 
It  is  manhood  that  prevails; 

Sterling  merit  wins  in  trial 
Where  less  virtue  always  fails. 

With  a  fixedness  of  purpose 
And  a  consciousness  of  right, 

We  may  know  the  struggle's  issue,- 
And  'twill  help  us  in  the  fight. 

Men  are  sometimes  given  garlands 
And  their  praises  fill  the  land 

Though  they  live  for  gravest  error, 
If  beside  them  many  stand. 

But  the  lasting,  nobler  portion. 
Highest  palm  of  human  might, 

Is  to  him  who  for  his  manhood 
Stands  alone  because  he's  right. 

Written  page  of  tragic  story, 
Cunning  art  in  sculptured  stone. 

May  not  always  voice  his  glory, — 
He's  a  monument  alone. 


65 


As  I  Look  Back 

Just  what  it  is,  for  cert'in,  I  don't  know  's  I  can  say; 
But  sumthin's  been  a  tuggin'  at  my  heart  strings  all  the 

day. 
And  now  the  evenin'  cricket  and  the  tickin'  o'  the  clock 
Have  kind  o'   started  mem'ries  that  I'd  almost  clean 

forgot ; 
And  with  them  come  the  wonder,  if  I  haven't  reached  at 

last 
The  tinie  when  men  go  livin'  in  the  joys  o'  the  past; 
For  seems  to  me  I've  noticed,  that  an  old  man's  day  o'  joy 
Is  never  now  or  for'ard :  but  its  always  when  a  boy. 
And  come  to  think  it  over,  perhaps  that's  why  I  wish 
That  I  was  back  at  Mason,  in  old  Ingham  County,  Mich. 

It  ain't  because  I'm  feelin'  that  it  wasn't  for  the  best 
When  I  left  the  home  back  yonder  and  traveled  further 

west. 
I  ain't  no  kick  a  comin',  n'r  a  reason  to  complain, 
F'r  life  has  give  me  fairly  o'  her  pleasure  and  her  gain. 
Tain't  been  a  path  o'  roses,  free  from  goadin'  thorns  o' 

sin, 
And  the  underbresh  o'  trial  that  my  feet  have  wandered  in. 
With  me  life's  been  a  tussle;  but  I've  made  it  give  a  share 
0'  things  that  are  substantial,  'long  with  a  heap  o'  care. 
I've  a  hundred  fertile  acres,  countin'  plow  land  and  wood. 
While  with  the  village  banker  I'm  a  thousand  to  the  good; 
It's  'bout  all  I'm  entitled  to,  and  surely  more'n  I'd  had 
If  I'd  kept  right  on  a  stayin'  where  I  used  to  be  a  lad. 


G6 


For  while  I  wa'n't  exactly  what  the  older  folks  called  fast, 
I  was  a  trifle  speedy  for  to  keep  the  pace  and  last. 
I  was  full  o'  life  and  ginger,  and  I  kind'er  liked  the  cheer 
That  I  found  at  Horton's  tavern,  behind  my  mug  o'  beer. 
And  there  ain't  no  use  dem'in'  that  some  reputation  went, 
A  kind  o'  boon  companion,  with  the  money  that  I  spent. 
Of  course  the  things  I  did  then  I  ain't  doin'  any  more, 
And  it  wouldn't  be  becomin'  at  my  age  to  live  'em  o'er; 
But  when  I  stop  and  listen  to  the  songs  we  used  to  sing, 
And  see  again  the  faces  that  my  mem'ry  seems  to  bring, 
I  own  to  the  inditement  that  I  can't  suppress  the  wish 
That  I  was  back  at  ^Mason,  in  old  Ingham  County,  Mich. 

For  among  the  score  o'  faces  that  look  at  me  with  surprise. 
There's  one  that  looks  half  sadly  from  a  pair  of  azure  eyes; 
'Tis  a  face  o'  modest  beauty,  with  a  form  and  grace  o' 

pose 
That  brings  to  mind  the  lily,  and  the  blossom  o'  the  rose; 
And  in  her  smile  o'  sunshine  there's  a  glow  that  seems  to 

start 
All  the  latent  buds  o'  passion  in  the  desert  o'  my  heart, 
And  makes  me  yield  a  captive  to  a  dreamlike  undertow, 
That  bears  me  swiftly  backward  to  the  days  o'  long  ago. 
As  o'  yore,  Fm  slowly  walkin'  down  an  old  familiar  lane. 
While  beside  o'  me's  the  presence  o'  my  old  sweetheart 

again. 
'Tis  a  day  when  apple  blossoms  are  like  snow  upon  the 

trees. 
And  the  freshness  o'  the  meadows  gives  a  perfume  to  the 

breeze; 


67 


When  the  sky  is  clear  as  crystal,  and  the  heart  is  light  as 

air, 
And  the  joyous  note  o'  springtime  seems  vocal  every- 
where. 
And  as  we  walk  together,  I,  in  falt'ring  words,  confess 
The  passion  that  is  ragin'  within  my  boyish  breast. 
And  though  she  speaks  no  answer,  still  my  heart  accepts 

the  sign, 
As  she  draws  a  little  closer  and  puts  her  hand  in  mine. 
For  one  swiftly  passin'  moment,  I  catch  a  thrill  of  bliss, 
That  must  have  been  intended  for  a  better  world  than 

this ; 
For  it  only  stays  an  instant,  and  I  'waken  to  the  day, 
When  an  angel  lightly  kissed  her,  and  took  her  life  away. 
And  my  heart  is  torn  with  anguish,  as  I  see  her  borne  to 

rest, 
With  a  bunch  o'  crimson  roses,  that  she  loved  so,  in  her 

breast. 
The  years  since  then  are  many,  and  they've  brought  a 

kindly  balm, 
A  sort  o'  benediction  o'  quietude  and  calm. 
Yet,  when  I  get  to  thinkin',  seems  like  I  always  wish 
That  I  was  back  at  Mason,  in  old  Ingham  County,  Mich. 


6S 


Childhood 

Sweet  happy  hour  of  childhood's  glee, 
From  trials  and  cares  and  sorrows  free; 
O,  that  the  sunshine  of  thy  spring 
Might  last  through  life,  and  solace  bring! 

Sweet  childhood!  bright  in  nature's  beams, 
Thy  life  reflects  thy  happy  dreams; 
Thy  laugh  is  full  and  glad  and  free 
As  ever  lark's  might  wish  to  be. 

For  thee  each  dell  and  shady  bower 
Is  garden  for  some  wild-wood  flower, — 
Some  secret  holds  alone  for  thee, 
A  tribute  to  thine  ecstasy. 

From  copse  and  scented  hedgerow  sweet 
Comes  trill  of  thrush,  thine  ear  to  greet; 
It  comes,  as  music  to  thine  ear. 
Such  as  the  older  never  hear. 

So,  memory  seeks  the  days  long  past, 
To  find  the  joys  too  sweet  to  last; 
To  live  again  the  days  of  youth, 
Made  joyous  by  fond  hope  and  truth. 

Sweet  happy  hour  of  childhood's  glee,    • 
Elysium  thou  seem'st  to  be! 
O,  that  the  sunshine  of  life's  spring 
Might  last  through  life,  and  solace  bring! 

69 


The  Harp  and  the  Shamrock 

There's  a  green  isle  afar  in  the  ocean 

Where  men  have  knoTVii  sorrow  and  wrong, 

Where  the  shamrock's  the  sign  of  devotion, 
And  the  harp  is  the  emblem  of  song. 

'Tis  the  island  of  Erin,  whose  fountains 
Are  limpid  and  bright  in  their  flow; 

Whose  plains  and  whose  valleys  and  mountains 
Rejoice  in  the  emerald's  glow. 

But  it  harbors  a  race  that's  been  driven 
Like  beasts  bearing  burdens  of  toil, 

The  joy  of  whose  Hfe  has  been  given 
For  the  right  to  have  huts  on  it's  soil. 

They've  been  exiled  by  want  and  oppression. 
Thrust  out  to  the  ends  of  the  earth; 

But  the  power  that  stole  their  possession 
Has  never  deprived  them  of  mirth. 

For  the  harp  and  the  shamrock  have  ever 
Been  strength  for  their  burdens  of  care, 

And  made  it  the  land  where  forever 
They  smile  in  the  face  of  despair. 

This  green  isle  has  sent  to  each  nation 
The  lad  and  the  lass  without  fear, 

Who  have  lightened  the  world's  tribulation 
With  the  laughter  and  song  of  good  cheer. 

70 


They've  followed  the  bright  star  of  empire 
As  westward  it  circled  the  world, 

And  patiently  guarded  each  camp-fire 
Where  the  fair  flag  of  freedom  unfurled. 

Wherever  has  freedom  demanded 

That  men  should  meet  death  with  a  smile, 
There, — there!  in  the  fore-front,  were  banded 

The  sons  of  this  Emerald  Isle. 

And  when,  after  horrors  that  sicken, 
The  quest  of  the  struggle  was  gained, 

On  the  face  of  the  mangled  and  stricken 
The  smile  of  the  conflict  remained, — 

To  tell  that  the  shamrock  can  ever 
Give  strength  for  all  burdens  of  care, 

And  prove  that  the  harp  will  forever 
Beat  back  the  dark  clouds  of  despair. 


71 


A  Dark  Day 

Out  of  the  darkness  of  human  woe 

Spring  the  joys  that  remain, — that  never  go. 

As  when  in  the  distance  a  dark  cloud  appears, 
Within  whose  folds  hide  Nature's  tears; 

In  pity  they  fall  from  out  the  skies. 
Like  drops  of  sorrow  from  human  eyes; 

The  earth  seems  sad,  there  is  no  room 

For  joys  of  sunshine  in  the  gathering  gloom, — 

The  thunders  roll,  and  lightnings  flash, 
The  earth  seems  scourged  by  an  angry  lash. 

But  the  heart  in  faith  looks  up,  beyond. 
And  sees  God's  w^ork  without  despond. 

In  the  glad  tomorrow  the  flowers  appear. 
And  Heaven's  realm  seems  strangely  near. 

God's  message  of  love  man  here  may  learn, 
That  life's  wages  are  joy  in  sorrow  earned, — 

That  out  of  the  darkness  of  human  woe 
Spring  the  joys  that  remain  and  never  go. 


72 


To  A  Faded  Wild-rose 

Wild-rose  of  brook-side  meadow, 
How  changed  thy  vernal  sheen 

Since  thou  wert  torn,  a  trophy, 
From  thy  bower  of  leafy  green. 

Then  thy  blush  was  like  the  dawning 
Of  the  morning's  ruddy  light, 

When  first  it  breaks  in  glory 
On  the  pall  of  fading  night. 

Then  about  thy  fragile  petals 

A  breath  of  fragrance  hung, 
While  on  thy  leaves  the  jewels 

Of  the  dew  in  clusters  clung. 

From  thy  inner  depth  of  beauty, 

Sweet  and  pure,  there  seemed  to  start 

A  charm,  that  woke  to  music 

Dormant  chords  within  the  heart. 

But  now,  in  leaf  nor  petal 
Are  retained  perfume  or  glow, 

To  tell  the  storied  triumphs 
That  were  thine  long  years  ago. 

Yet,  for  this,  shall  I  discard  thee? 

And  because  no  longer  fair. 
Crushed  and  torn,  cast  thee  from  me, 

Without  further  thought  or  care? 

73 


Rather,  I  shall  better  love  thee, 
And  recall  that  not  in  vain 

Js  the  life  of  rose  or  mortal 

That  can  soothe  an  hour  of  pain. 


74 


To  THE  Infinite 

Tumultuous:  rolling  3'ears  of  time! 
From  out  thy  mists,  a  Voice,  sublime, 

Proclaims  Thy  name; 
Unfathomed,  space  adjoins  with  time, 
Blending  in  universal  rhyme. 

To  sing  Thy  fame. 
Great  Power,  that  holds,  and  onward  hurls, 
The  order  of  vast  circling  worlds, 

Hail!     Lord  above! 
As  is  Thy  name.  Thy  fame.  Thy  plan, 
So,  mirrored  in  the  heart  of  man, 

Transcendent  Love. 


75 


Autumn 

When,  with  charm  of  golden  beauty, 
Autumn  days  begin  to  glow, 
And  with  melancholy  music, 
Soft  autumnal  winds  do  blow. 

Forest  aisles  with  whispering  murmurs 
Lure  to  ponder  and  to  dream. 
And  reveal  life's  wondrous  glories 
In  each  leaf,  and  flower,  and  stream. 

Night,  in  all  her  radiant  splendor, 
Glorious  revelation  sends.; 
Star,  and  crescent  of  the  morning. 
Tell  of  love  that  never  ends. 

Pomp  of  color  lavish  spending, 
Purple  mist  obscures  the  hills; 
Gold,  with  green  together  blending. 
Riot  runs  where'er  it  wills. 

Not  for  naught  this  blissful  vision, 
Caught  from  some  celestial  art, — 
Leaf,  and  flower,  and  dream,  are  fashioned 
From  the  same  great  glowing  Heart. 


76 


The  jNIorning  Star 

Gem  of  night's  fast   fading  splendor,   smiling  o'er  the 

eastern  hills, 
Nature  wdth  a  pean  greets  thee,  and  each  heart  with 

rapture  fills. 
Magic,  in  thj-  tranquil  glory,  turns  each  dew-drop  to  a 

pearl. 
Brighter  than  the  rarest  treasure  in  the  casket  of  an  earl. 
Song  birds  swell  their  matin  carols,  ecstasies  of  pure 

delight. 
When  thy  beams  fall  like  a  blessing  on  retreating  steps  of 

Night. 
In    thj'    light,  like  vestal   radiance  trembling  from  the 

eastern  sky, 
Fondly  lovers  seal  their  plightings  with  a  kiss,  and  last 

good-bye. 
Ah!  full  many  a  fond  emotion  fans  to  life,  when,  from  afar, 
Eyes  behold  thy  proud  ascension,  O  thou  queenly  Morning 

Star ! 


77 


The  Farm  in  the  Valley 

You  kin  talk  about  your  rural  scenes,  your  country  seats 

and  sich, 
Uv  "  Brierwood  "  and  "Springbrook  "  farms,  playthings  uv 

the  rich, 
Where  pampered  sons  uv  Standard  He  and  Steel  Trusts 

sniff  the  air, 
To  tone  their  constitutions  up,  and  free  their  hearts  fr'm 

care; 
They're  surely  things  uv  beauty  to  the  man  that's  huntin' 

art, — 
But  they're  far  from  satisfjdn'  to  the  honest  country  heart. 
They're  more  like  grand  asylums  where  men  kin  ease  the 

shock 
That  comes  to  'em  from  sellin'  their  blocks  uv  watered 

stock. 

I've  roamed  about  full  many  a  day  these  gorgeous  play- 
thing farms. 

But  I've  always  left  confessin'  they  are  destichute  uv 
charms ; 

Because,  I  know  what  real  farms  are, — and  there's  always 
in  my  eye 

A  farm  that's  to  my  likin's  same's  a  piece  uv  azure  sky. 

It's  a  tidy  bit  uv  valley,  same's  in  a  picture  fills 

Up  the  space  between  the  forests  and  the  farther  rollin' 
hills; 

There  are  fields  uv  crimson  clover,  uv  wheat  and  rustlin' 
corn, 

With  pastures  fresh  an'  fragr'nt  with  the  nectar  uv  the 

morn. 

78 


There's  a  cottage  by  the  orchard,  roses  climbm'  o'er  the 

door, 
Through  which  sunshine  and  shadow  fall  in  checks  across 

the  floor. 
And  from  out  that  open  doorway,  if  y'r  only  standin'  near, 
A  song  same's  like  a  bird  song  comes  a  floatin'  to  your  ear. 
It's  the  singin'  uv  my  Maggie,  who  through  the  livelong 

day 
Keeps  a  singin'  while  she's  workin'  just  the  same's  though 

'  twas  play. 
There  are  children  fresh  and  ruddy  out  a-playin'  on  the 

green, 
And  there's  sure  no  need  to  tell  j^ou  they're  the  jewels  uv 

the  scene. 

There's  an  air  uv  home  and  comfort  there,  wherever  you 

may  look. 
From  the  barn,  where  nest  the  swallows,  to  the  babblin' 

meadow  brook. 
E'en  the  well-sweep,  with  the  bucket  tilted  on  the  mossy 

brink. 
Is  a  temptin'  invitashun  to  a  cool  refreshin'  drink; 
And  the  dinner-bell  seems  sidelin'  so's  'twas  'bout  to  give 

the  peal 
That  would  call  the  men  and  horses  up  out  uv  the  distant 

fiel'. 
Now  from  what  I've  been  a  tellin',  I've  no  doubt  that  you 

kin  see 
That  this  farm,  so  nigh  perfecshun,  is  one  that  ])'longs 

to  me. 


79 


And  you  may  l)e  likewise  thinkin'  that  its  beauty  and  its 

charm 
Is  because  it  keeps  and  shelters  all  my  loved  ones  out  uv 

harm; 
But  your  thinkin's  at  your  pleasure,— I'm  as  sure  as  I 

can  be 
That  no  "  Springbrook "  rural  palace  would  be  quite  the 

thing  for  me. 
For  the  comfort  that's  the  real  thing  I  have  found  beyent 

a  doubt 
Depends  more  on  what's  within  you  than  on  what  you've 

got  without. 
So  I'd  ruther  have  an  acre,  and  a  heart  kept  full  uv  mirth, 
Than  to  waste  with  cares  oppressin'  as  the  price  uv  all 

the  earth. 


80 


Life 


As  I  sit  alone  by  my  office  ^^dndow  looking  into  the 
night,  from  tlie  street  below  comes  the  subdued  sobbhig 
of  a  child.  Some  sorrow  has  touched  a  young  heart, 
and  my  sympathies  go  out  to  the  little  one  who  is  being 
made  acquainted  ■v^^th  one  of  the  great  facts  of  life.  The 
thought  comes  to  me.  What  is  life? — and  the  answer, 

To  hope  mth  a  hope  never  failing. 

And  struggle  with  might  and  with  main; 

To  hear  the  world  cheer  when  you're  winning, 

And  laugh  when  you  struggle  in  vain. 

To  fall,  and  to  rise  and  press  onward, 

In  quest  of  earth's  bounty  and  cheer, 

To  find  at  the  end  of  the  journey 

You  look  through  the  mist  of  a  tear. 

What  is  life? 

To  hope  with  a  hope  never  failing, 
To  struggle  with  might  and  with  main, 
Unswerved  by  the  cheer  when  you're  wimiing, 
Or  the  laugh  when  you've  struggled  in  vain; 
To  fall ;  but  to  rise  and  press  onward, 
With  a  heart  ever  buoyant  ^vith  cheer. 
Ever  lured  by  the  bright  star  of  duty, 
Though  the  eyes  may  be  dimmed  with  a  tear. 


81 


The  Falling  Star 

In  autumn  nights  I  wander  oft  alone, 
Eyes  cast  to  Heaven  with  my  heart's  desire; 
For,  while  a  star  falls,  if  our  wish  we  own, 
We  gain  the  gift  to  which  we  may  aspire. 

Dear,  'tis  but  one  wish  my  heart  can  frame. 
When  falls  a  star ;  I  only  think  of  thee. 
I  long  that  thy  pure  love  remain  the  same, — 
That  in  my  exile  thou  shouldst  think  of  me. 

Alas,  this  fancy  I  would  fain  believe, 
For  naught  have  I  to  comfort  me  beside ; 
But  Winter's  bitter  winds  begin  to  grieve. 
And  his  dark  clouds  the  star's  soft  glory  hide. 

— Translated  from  the  French. 

IN   ANSWER 

Yet  shall  I  doubt  that  stars  in  glory  shine, 
Because  dark  clouds  the  constellations  hide? 
Or  fear  thy  ardent  love's  no  longer  mine. 
When  fate  of  exile  takes  thee  from  my  side? 

No,  dear;  though  clouds  of  winter  hide  the  light 
Of  stars  that  swing  like  censer  lamps  on  high, 
I  still  shall  know,  beyond  the  pall  of  night. 
They  jewel  the  milky  baldric  of  the  sky. 


S2 


And  by  this  token,  from  the  stars  of  night, 
My  faith  shall  span  the  leagues  of  \%'intry  sea, 
And  I  shall  know  the  sum  of  love's  delight — 
That  all  is  well  between  thyself  and  me. 


83 


To  A  Faded  "S^iolet 

Crushed  and  fragile,  dead  and  faded, 
Still  I  love  thee, — better  far 
Than  when  thou  wert  sprightly  growing, 
Blithe,  and  young,  and  debonair. 

Not  because  a  woodland  flavor 
Lingers  in  thy  trace  of  blue, 
Which  once  vied,  a  jealous  rival, 
With  the  heavens'  royal  hue; 

But  because  red  lips  have  kissed  thee. 
And  though  faded  now,  and  old. 
Still,  for  memories'  sake,  I  love  thee 
^More  than  wealth  of  yellow  gold. 


84 


Love's  Token 

Sweetheart,  know  that  I  remember, 
Though  the  fleeting  days  of  time 
Bring  no  message  to  thee,  saying, 
"All  the  love  I  have  is  thine." 

And  when  Spring  shall  wave  her  bamiers, 
And  the  Morning  Star  shall  burn, 
I'll  remember,  by  the  token, 
That,  unsaid,  my  love's  returned. 


85 


To  A  Wild  Rose 

No  longer  the  breath  of  the  meadow 

Is  thine,  my  bonnie  wild  rose; 
No  longer  the  blush  of  Aurora 

In  the  depth  of  thy  chalice  glows. 

But  still  in  thy  ashes  there  lingers 

A  charm  that  is  dearer  to  me, 
Than  any  thy  beauty  exerted 

When  thou  wert  the  queen  of  the  lea. 

For  a  kiss  once  made  thee  a  token, 
Of  a  love  that  should  never  grow  old, 

That  should  live  in  the  golden  hereafter. 
When  the  lips  that  had  breathed  it  were  cold. 


86 


A  Rift  in  the  Cloud 

From  clouds  of  lead  the  rain  drops  down, 
In  the  lonesome  streets  of  the  drear  old  town. 
In  withering  gusts  it  strikes  the  panes, 
And  I  say,  in  my  sorrow,  "It  rains!     It  rains!" 

The  clouds  of  sorrow  roll  over  mj^  heart, 
While  as  from  a  fountain  the  tear  drops  start. 
And  I  long  for  childhood's  days  again, — 
For  a  mother  to  come  and  to  soothe  my  pain. 

When  lo!  a  rift  in  the  cloud  I  see, 

A  little  bird  sings  his  song  of  glee, 

The  sun  peeps  out  in  the  brightening  sky. 

And  the  cloud  from  my  heart  has  been  lifted  high. 


87 


As  THE  Moon  Shines  in  at  the  Window 

How  our  thoughts  at  random  fly, 
Guarded  keep  them  though  we  try, 
When  alone  we  sit  and  hsten 
As  the  moon's  soft  haze  and  ghsten 
Chases  with  its  mellow  light 
Lowering  shadows  of  the  night. 

The  splashing  wheel  down  by  the  mill. 
The  bellowing  kine  upon  the  hill, 
Silent  as  if  half  in  fright 
At  the  silver  sheen  of  night. 
Only  cricket's  chirp  is  heard 
Trilling  love  song,  in  a  word. 

Nature  seems  all  hushed  and  still. 
E'en  shy  laughter  of  the  rill 
Comes  in  muffled  quiet  tones 
From  its  bed  of  moss  and  stones, 
While  the  moon  with  beaming  pride 
Glints  the  mirror  of  its  tide. 

Pensive,  peaceful,  each  thing  seems, 
Clad  in  raiment  of  her  beams, 
Resting  tranquil  in  her  ray 
At  the  close  of  toilsome  day. 
Quiet  reigns  o'er  moor  and  mart ; 
Joy  is  here, — save  in  my  heart. 


88 


At  the  casement  bathed  in  light 
By  the  gorgeous  Queen  of  Night, 
In  revery  sad  and  fancy  free 
'Mid  bj^gone  years  I  seem  to  be. 
And  this,  a  scene  where  all  is  glad, 
Stills  my  heart,  and  makes  me  sad. 

Vain  hopes  I  see,  of  other  years, 
The  blasted  fruits,  and  present  tears; 
I  view  the  joys  of  days  long  past, — 
Dear  joys,  too  sweet  to  live  and  last,- 
"When  the  casement's  bathed  in  light. 
By  the  gorgeous  Queen  of  Night. 


89 


The  Closing  Year 

'Twas  the  closing  of  December;  in  the  night  alone  sat  I, 

Watching  all  the  shadows  deepen,  and  the  embers  slowly 
die. 

Listlessly  I'd  watched  the  firelight  dance  upon  the  dark- 
ened wall, 

Hardly  conscious  day  was  passing,  and  that  night  had 
spread  its  pall. 

A  delicious  languor  seized  me,  and,  yielding  to  its  tow, 
It  seemed  to  bear  me  backward  through  the  days  of  long 

ago. 
And  as  I  held  communion  with  those  happy  days  of  yore. 
There  came  a  feeble  rapping,  rapping  at  my  outer  door. 

Still  I  lingered,  till  the  tapping  was  repeated  once  again. 
And  my  ear  caught  up  the  moaning  of  a  feeble  word  of 

pain; 
Then  I  flung  the  door  wide  open,  and  in  the  failing  light 
Saw   the  bent  form  of  a  stranger,  outlined  against    the 

night. 


*»' 


His  aged  form  seemed  yielding  before  the  winter's  grief. 
That  whirled  his  tattered  mantle  like  a  dead  and  withered 
,    leaf. 
Welcome  stranger! — welcome!"  said  I,  to  the  aged  sire; 
Come  within  my  modest  chamber,  sit  thee  down  beside 
the  fire." 


90 


Spectral  like,  he  slowly  entered,  moving  with  a  halting- 
pace, 

While  I  marked  his  shrunken  figure,  silvered  locks,  and 
kindly  face. 

Not  a  word  had  yet  been  uttered  by  my  strange  nocturnal 
guest 

Telhng  from  what  bourn  he  traveled,  or  the  object  of  his 
quest. 

''Ancient  Sage,"  at  last  I  queried,  "tell,  what  cause  of 

mortal  woe 
Sends  thee  like  a  hunted  wildling  through  this  night  of 

wind  and  snow? 
Does  some  tragic  memory  drive  thee  aimless  on  from 

place  to  place. 
Or  does  some  thought  of  evil  lurk  beneath  thy  kindly 

grace?" 

"Child  of  mine,"  he  slowly  answered,  "let  my  presence 

bring  no  fear; 
I  am  but  the  shade  of  Winter;  I'm  the  closing  of  the  year." 
Then  from  memory  he  a  story  told  of  sorrow  and  of  joy, 
Reaching  back  from  Age's  evening  to  the  days  when  yet 

a  boy. 

'Twas  as  though  I  saw  before  me  vernal  Spring  in  human 

life 
Changing  to  voluptuous  Summer,  manhood  days  of  hope 

and  strife; 
Ending  in  the  haze  of  Autumn  and  the  wintry  chilling 

blast. 
As  the  sands  of  life  were  running  with  the  last  tin-u  of 

the  glass. 

91 


Like  faint  distant  strains  of  music,  in  this  story  I  could 

hear 
Youthful  shouts  and  boyish  laughter  full  of  hope  and 

void  of  fear; 
Words  of  love  and  passion  mingled  with  discordant  strife 

for  fame, 
And  the  ceaseless  labored  battle  after  power  and  worldly 

gain; 

Till  at  last,  like  evening  vespers,  faintly  borne  upon  my 

ear, 
Came  the  murmur  of  the  twilight  of  life's  yellow  leaf  and 

sear. 
When  he  ceased,  we  sat  in  silence,  till  the  bells  rang  loud 

and  clear. 
Telling,  in  their  tones  of  .silver,  advent  of  a  glad  New 

Year. 

Then  it  was,  my  guest  of  evening  faded  from  my  mortal 

sight, 
And  was  gone,  and  gone  forever,  in  the  darkness  of  the 

night; 
But  the  bells  still  rang  the  louder,  and  they  said  in  sweet 

refrain, 
"Though  the  year  grows  old  and  sterile,  bud  and  bloom 

will  come  again; 

Bud  and  bloom  will  come  again." 


92 


The  New  Year 

The  night  wind  whispers  a  requiem, 
A  sigh  for  the  old,  dead  year; 

And  my  heart  is  moved  with  pity, 
As  I  join  with  the  worth  of  a  tear. 

My  grief,  it  wells  deep  and  real, 
When  the  night  wind  whispers  low 

And  tells  me  how,  out  of  sorrows, 
Life's  purest  and  best  joys  grow. 

So  I  turn  from  the  bier  of  the  old, 
Where  I've  laid  my  wTeath  of  rue; 

I  turn  with  the  smile  of  peace. 

And  welcome  the  birth  of  the  new. 


93 


^electeb  Cg^aps  anb  ^bbregges 


95 


Michigan 

"Si  Quaeris  Peninsulam  Amoenam  Circumspice,"  is  the 
appropriate  and  suggestive  legend  chosen  to  grace  the  great 
seal  of  the  State  of  Michigan.  To  all  who  come  within 
her  borders,  seekers  of  a  beautiful  land,  Michigan  says, 
"Look  about  you,"  and  surely  his  quest  must  be  satisfied 
if  he  but  obey  the  injunction.  If  men  live  forth  their 
environment,  if  they  draw  a  subtle  influence  from  the 
land  in  which  they  live,  appropriating  nature's  beauties, 
the  ruggedness  of  her  outlines  and  the  variety  of  her 
charms,  to  transform  and  reflect  their  very  essence  into 
life  and  thought,  then  was  the  land  we  know  as  Michigan 
in  the  beginning  predestined  as  the  home  of  a  great  and 
mighty  people. 

The  world  presents  few  if  any  localities  of  such  restricted 
area  where  nature  has  been  more  lavish  in  the  variety 
of  her  gifts.  In  its  extreme  north  it  presents  a  landscape 
telling  the  story  of  earthly  tumult;  there,  in  jagged  rocks, 
and  mighty  hills,  and  dark  ravines,  have  been  written  the 
imperishable  record  of  earthquake  and  glacier  and  the 
mighty  forces  that  contended  in  the  building  of  a  world; 
there,  in  mountains  whose  feet  are  bathed  in  that  tideless 
ocean,  the  mighty  Superior,  have  been  stored  nearly 
every  mineral  of  prime  necessity  to  man;  there,  men 
stubbornly  contest  for  the  treasures  of  Nature's  hoarding, 
while  their  hearts  grow  strong  as  the  crags,  and  as  free 
as  the  waves. 


A  Fourth  of  July  oration  delivered  at  Onondaga  some  thirty-five  years  aRO. 

97 


To  the  southward  stretch  great  forests,  gray  and 
primeval,  full  of  their  silent  life  and  mystery.  In  their 
quiet  depths  the  noble  stag  takes  his  morning  drink  from 
fern-fringed  lake  or  stream,  where  the  finny  tribe  sport 
well-nigh  unmolested,  making  it  the  sportsman's  paradise. 

Again  southward,  and  the  landscape  changes.  We  pass 
from  pine  and  hemlock  wood  whose  aromatic  odors  are 
pleasingly  blended  with  the  perfume  of  the  arbutus  to  a 
land  where  the  elm,  the  oak,  the  beech  and  the  maple 
were  the  giants  of  the  forest  in  the  days  before  the  sound 
of  the  woodsman's  axe  was  heard.  Now  we  look  out 
upon  a  rich  pastoral  scene  stretching  away  mile  upon 
mile  to  the  State's  southerly  border.  The  southern  half 
of  the  Lower  Peninsula  is  unreserved  in  the  exhibition 
of  its  agricultural  opulence.  Here  hill,  vale  and  wood- 
land are  gathered  together  in  picturesque  commingling, 
over  which  summer  throws  its  mantle  of  emerald.  The 
land  may  be  said  to  be  gently  tindulating;  appropriate 
seasons  show  blossoming  orchards,  fields  of  billowy 
grain,  meadows  rich  in  perfume  and  promise,  while 
innumerable  flocks  and  herds  dot  the  hillsides.  Placid 
lakes  and  smooth  flowing  rivers  rest  the  eye  of  the  be- 
holder and  add  the  charm  of  variety.  Thriving  villages, 
whose  people  are  at  one  with  their  rustic  neighbors,  are 
common;  cities  and  more  pretentious  marts  of  trade,  alive 
■with  the  whirr  of  industry  and  busy  with  the  schemes  of 
trade  are  yearly  adding  to  their  populations. 

Surrounding  this  great  State,  within  a  day's  travel  of 
its  every  inhabitant,  roll  the  great  unsalted  seas.  The 
Great  Lakes!  While  time  shall  be,  and  men  shall  marvel 
at  Nature's  grand  displays,  these  mighty  inland  waters 

98 


shall  stand,  second  only  to  the  ocean,  in  the  hold  which 
they  have  on  the  imaginations  of  men.     Storm-tossed 
or  placid,  they  are  ever  the  same.     One  stands  upon 
their  shores,  and  looks  off  across  their  restless  blue,  and 
there    comes   the   feeling   of   the   insignificance   of   self, 
mingled  vnih  the  inexpressible  thoughts  of  the  grandeur, 
the  might  and  the  power  of  nature  and  nature's  God, 
whose  handiwork  we  can  behold  and  yet  fail  to  under- 
stand.  In  many  places,  the  waters  are  buttressed  by  bold 
and  rocky  headlands;  but  more  often,  their  force  is  spent 
upon  the  inclined  stretch  of  glistening  sand.     A  mighty 
commerce  plows  their  surface,  ^^dth  its  fleets  of  white 
sails  and  blackened  funnels  moving  in  almost  constant 
procession  through  the  passes  at  the  Sault,  Mackinac 
and  Detroit.     To  the  dwellers  upon  a  thousand  miles  of 
these  rugged  shores,  there  comes  from  the  watery  waste  a 
spirit,  a  sentiment  and  an  inspiration,  known  only  to 
those  who  "go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships."     If  these  great 
waters  exert  an  influence  upon  the  minds  of  those  who 
daily  live  in  their  contemplation,  they  have  still  a  greater 
influence  upon  the  temper  of  air  and  clime,  so  softening 
and  modifying  their  rigors  that  on  these  shores  are  ripened 
in  perfection  both  the  hardy  apple   and  the  luscious 
peach.     Small  wonder  there  is   soul    and   heart    in    the 
schoolboy's  song  when  he  sings, 

Home  of  my  heart,  I  sing  of  thee, 
Michigan,  my  Michigan. 

Thy  lake-bound  shores  I  long  to  see, 
Michigan,  my  Michigan. 


99 


The  First  Judicial  History  of  Michigan 

The  transmutations  that  have  taken  place  since  white 
men  first  took  up  their  abode  within  our  borders  have 
been  such  that  the  history  ol  Michigan  forms  one  of  the 
most  unique  chapters  in  the  history  of  our  common 
country.  To  write  of  the  first  supreme  court  would  be 
to  write  of  a  matter  within  the  memory  of  men  now 
living.  But  the  limitations  of  my  subject  are  far  broader. 
They  permit  of  a  commencement  and  termination  of  the 
judicial  story  anywhere  within  the  past  two  centuries; 
since,  when  the  constitution  of  1850  was  adopted,  for 
more  than  that  length  of  time  civilization  had  struggled 
for  a  foothold  upon  our  soil. 

With  the  founding  of  Detroit,  La  Motte  Cadihac  was 
invested  with  all  the  pQwer  belonging  to  the  highest 
feudal  lordship  which  then  obtained  in  France.  During 
the  period  of  French  control  over  the  soil  of  Michigan, 
there  was  nothing  to  stimulate  the  growth  of  local  self- 
government,  even  had  the  germs  lain  dormant  in  the 
nature  of  the  Franco-Canadian.  The  reputation  of  the 
French  colonist  was  far  from  that  of  being  litigious,  and 
his  civic  regulations  and  requirements  were  quite  suffi- 
ciently discharged  by  the  cure,  the  commandant  and  the 
deputy  intendant,  with  legal  formalities  furnished  by 
the  duly  commissioned  notary.  In  the  Territory  of 
Michigan,  which  embraced  Detroit  and  Michilimackinac, 
the  lives  of  the  habitants  were  in  the  hands  of  the  com- 
mandant; and  while  upon  one  or  two  occasions  this 
officer  resorted  to  extreme  penalties,  as  a  rule  the  simple 

From  the  Michigan  Historical  Collections,  XXXV,  537. 

100 


lives  of  the  people  called  for  little  or  no  interposition  of 
judicial  authorit}'. 

In  November,  1760,  the  cross  of  St.  George  was  raised 
over  Fort  Pontchartrain  and  later  over  Michilimacldnac, 
and  by  the  treaty  of  Paris  in  1763  IMichigan,  as  a  portion 
of  Canada,  passed  under  the  dominion  of  the  British 
Crown.  In  the  interim  between  possession  by  force  of 
arms  and  treaty  rights,  the  government  was  purely 
military,  as  would  be  expected.  It  would  have  been 
much  better  had  General  Gage,  in  its  exercise,  at  all 
times  followed  the  judicious  counsels  of  Sir  William 
Johnson,  a  sterling  character  of  wdsdom,  honesty  and 
integrity.  While  the  constitution  may  not  always  follow 
the  flag,  it  has  always  been  supposed  that  courts  of 
justice  followed  Anglo-Saxon  civilization  and  control; 
yet  Michigan  Territory  under  British  possession  was  to 
form  an  exception  to  this  rule.  Upon  the  assumption  of 
sovereignty  under  the  treaty  of  Paris,  the  king  of  Great 
Britain,  by  a  proclamation  under  date  of  October  7,  1763, 
established  four  separate  govermnents,  known  as  Quebec, 
East  Florida,  West  Florida,  and  Grenada.  Into  these 
provinces  were  introduced  the  civil  and  criminal  law  of 
England,  but  neither  Michigan  nor  any  part  of  the  Terri- 
tory north  of  Michigan,  under  the  provisions  of  the 
famous  Quebec  Act,  was  to  come  within  the  pale  of  civil 
government,  and  then  in  name  only. 

The  commandants  of  English  authority  changed  l)ut 
little  the  rule  of  their  French  predecessors.  If  they  did 
not  exercise  authority  themselves,  they  delegated  it  to 
others.  Under  some  such  arrangement,  one  Gabriel 
LaGrand  seems  to  have  exercised  some  of  the  functions 

101 


of  a  justice  of  the  peace  in  1765.  Later,  and  in  1767, 
the  commandant,  Captain  George  Turnbull,  commissioned 
one  Phihp  Dejean  a  justice  of  the  peace,  with  powers  to 
make  inquiry  but  not  to  render  judgment,  except  upon 
the  joint  request  of  the  parties.  Later  in  the  same  year 
Robert  Bayard,  the  major  commanding,  granted  Dejean 
a  further  commission  as  "second  judge"  to  hold  a  "Tem- 
pery  Court  of  Justice  to  be  held  twice  in  every  month  at 
Detroit,  to  Decide  on  all  actions  of  Debt,  Bonds,  Bills, 
Contracts  and  Trespasses  above  the  value  of  five  Pounds, 
New  York  Currency."  The  first  judge,  it  is  presumed, 
was  the  commandant  himself,  who  continued  to  ad- 
minister judicial  proceedings,  as  was  customary  with  the 
deputy  intendant  of  the  French  regime.  In  the  annals 
of  Wisconsin  for  about  the  same  time  we  are  told  the 
story  of  one  Judge  Reaume,  who  acted  under  similar 
authority,  but  more  distant  from  the  source  of  power,  at 
Green  Bay;  who,  in  lieu  of  process,  summoned  the  de- 
linquent before  him  by  sending  his  jackknife  as  warrant 
of  its  possessor's  authority.  If  we  may  credit  the  tradi- 
tions that  come  to  us  of  this  pioneer  wearer  of  the  ermine, 
we  may  believe  that  his  judgments  were  as  original  as 
his  process,  for  he  turned  the  short-comings  of  those  who 
came  under  the  ban  of  his  decrees  to  his  ovm.  account  by 
requiring  them  to  hoe  in  the  judicial  garden  and  replenish 
the  judicial  woodpile. 

In  1775  Lieutenant  Governor  Hamilton,  of  unsavory 
memory,  arrived  in  Detroit,  clothed  with  well-nigh  un- 
limited powers,  both  administrative  and  judicial.  Under 
his  sway  Dejean  continued  to  exercise  his  powers  as  a 
justice  of  the  peace.     They  soon  brought  the  authorities 

102 


at  Quebec  to  a  realizing  sense  of  conditions  at  the  distant 
post  by  proceeding,  in  1776,  to  try  by  a  jury  of  six  English 
and  six  French,  a  man  and  a  woman  on  the  joint  charge 
of  arson  and  larceny.  The  jury  found  that  they  were 
guiltj^  of  the  larceny,  but  of  the  proofs  showing  arson 
they  had  some  doubts.  The  verdict  was,  however, 
considered  warrant  for  the  execution  of  the  man,  the 
woman  acting  as  his  executor,  she  receiving  her  freedom. 
For  this  unwarranted  act,  warrants  were  issued  from 
Quebec  for  the  arrest  of  both  commandant  and  justice; 
and  while  both  escaped,  by  reason  of  the  pubhc  attention 
being  engrossed  with  the  events  of  the  Revolution,  it  had 
the  effect  nevertheless  of  making  both  more  circumspect 
in  the  discharge  of  their  judicial  functions. 

In  later  years,  the  Lieutenant  Governor  seems  to  have 
tired  of  the  routine  of  judicial  procedure,  for  we  have  the 
authority  of  Judge  May,  who  came  to  Detroit  in  1778, 
to  the  effect  that  in  1777  the  Governor  "  getting  tired  of 
administering  justice,  proposed  to  the  merchants  to  es- 
tablish a  court  of  trustees  with  jurisdiction  extending  to 
£10,  Hahfax;"  that  eighteen  of  them  entered  into  a  bond 
that  three  of  them  should  be  a  weekly  court  in  rotation, 
and  that  they  would  defend  any  appeal  that  might  be 
taken  from  their  decision, — the  appellate  body  being 
presumably  the  Governor.  They  rendered  judgments, 
issued  executions,  and .  imprisoned  in  the  guajd  house. 
This  proceeding  seems  to  have  given  satisfaction,  for  I 
have  in  my  possession  an  old  document  which  shows  that 
the  plan  was  later  inaugurated  at  Michilimackinac,  and 
in  1788  the  examination  of  Mr.  Robertson  ])efore  Lord 
Dorchester  at  Quebec  on  the  memorial  of  "divers  in- 

103 


habitants  of  Detroit"  asking  for  better  judicial  facilities, 
disclosed  that  in  his  opinion  the  court  of  arbitration 
worked  so  well  that  it  would  quite  meet  the  needs  of  the 
post  if  it  could  be  clothed  wdth  legal  power  and  authority. 
This  memorial  from  the  traders  and  citizens  of  Detroit 
was  brought  out  by  the  fact,  that  in  the  same  year  Lord 
Dorchester  had  by  proclamation  created  four  districts 
in  Upper  Canada,  with  a  court  of  record  for  each, — 
Michigan,  being  still  under  British  control,  fell  within  the 
district  of  Hesse.  The  court  was  known  as  the  court  of 
common  pleas,  and  from  its  decisions  there  was  no  appeal, 
except  to  the  Governor  and  Council.  The  Hon.  William 
Dummel  Powell  was  the  first  judge  of  this  court,  assuming 
his  duties  in  1790.  Subsequent  legislation  by  the  council 
of  Upper  Canada  brought  the  people  of  our  territorial 
limits  the  rights  to  general  quarter  sessions  of  the  peace, 
the  jury  system,  later  a  court  of  probate,  and  later  still  a 
superior  court  of  ciAdl  and  criminal,  and  other  courts  of 
higher,  jurisdiction.  The  last  term  of  court  held  at 
Detroit  under  British  authority  was  concluded  on  January 
29,  1796.  Before  the  holding  of  another  term,  another 
event  had  transpired,  whereby  the  cross  of  St.  George 
was  supplanted  by  the  stars  and  stripes,  and  British 
dominion  by  the  rule  of  a  free  people. 

On  August  18, 1796,  Winthrop  Sargent,  Acting  Governor 
of  the  Northwest  Territory,  by  letters  patent  created  the 
county  of  Wayne,  whose  limits  contained  the  lower 
peninsula  of  Michigan  and  the  greater  portion  of  the 
present  States  of  Ohio  and  Indiana.  Its  county  seat 
was  fixed  at  Detroit.  He  like-^ise  created  a  court  of 
common  pleas,  with  powers  similar  to  those  of  its  Canadian 

104 


predecessor.  Judicial  appointments  to  the  bench  of  this 
court  were  made  by  the  executive,  and  Louis  Beaufait, 
James  May,  Charles  Girardin  and  many  others  served 
in  that  capacity.  The  supreme  court  of  the  Northwest 
Territory  held  one  session  yearly,  at  Detroit.  At  the 
time  of  the  creation  of  Wayne  Countj^,  Rufus  Putnam, 
John  C.  Symmes  and  George  Turner  constituted  the 
court.  This  court  was  regular  in  the  holding  of  its 
sessions  at  Detroit  until  the  creation  of  the  Territory  of 
Ohio  in  1803,  at  which  time  our  soil  became  a  part  of 
Indiana  Territor3^  Our  connection  with  Indiana  was  of 
short  duration,  and  merits  little  more  than  notice.  Some 
legislation  was  enacted,  but  its  nature  is  not  now  known. 
In  1805  Michigan  Territory  was  created,  and  the  Act 
creating  it  contained  all  the  essential  features  of  the 
Ordinance  of  1787. 

From  1805,  in  Michigan,  dates  the  rule  of  the  Governor 
and  Judges.  William  Hull  was  appointed  Governor  and 
Stanley  Griswold  was  made  his  secretary.  Augustus  B. 
Woodward,  Samuel  Huntington  and  Frederick  Bates 
were  named  and  confirmed  as  judges.  Mr.  Huntington 
wisely  declined  the  appointment  and  John  Griffin  was 
appointed  in  his  stead.  The  Judges  were  appointed  for 
life  or  during  good  behavior.  Had  the  last  provision 
been  enforced,  the  term  of  Judge  Woodward  would  not 
have  exceeded  six  months;  as  it  was,  he  served  for  more 
than  twenty  years.  As  there  were  no  counties  then 
organized  in  Michigan  other  than  the  county  of  Wayne, 
the  Governor  and  Judges,  for  judicial  purposes,  divided 
the  Territory  into  three  districts,  known  thereafter  as 
the  districts  of  Erie,  Huron  and  Detroit,  the  district  of 

105 


Mackinaw  being  of  somewhat  later  creation.  Their 
names  sufficiently  give  their  locations.  The  Governor 
and  Judges  soon  adopted  a  code  of  laws,  and  provided  for 
a  judicial  system.  Matters  of  small  importance  were 
left  to  the  disposal  of  justices  of  the  peace;  a  court  of 
intermediary  jurisdiction  was  created  over  all  land  cases, 
and  concurrent  jurisdiction  over  civil  causes  involving, 
at  first,  two  hundred  dollars,  and  later  five  hundred  dollars, 
with  the  general  powers  of  an  appellate  court. 

The  long  career  of  Judge  Woodward  upon  this  bench 
is  one  of  the  most  picturesque  in  the  history  of  our  judic- 
iary. He  was  a  strange  combination  of  wisdom  and  tur- 
bulence. His  conduct  in  attempting  to  punish  Major 
John  Whipple  as  for  contempt  of  court  in  his  use  of 
disrespectful  language  upon  the  public  street,  his  almost 
constant  quarrels  wth  Governor  Hull  and  other  members 
of  the  court,  created  scandals  that  have  lasted  to  this 
day.  The  district  courts  survived  until  1809.  By  1820 
the  counties  of  Wayne,  Monroe,  Mackinac,  Macomb  and 
Oakland  had  been  organized,  and  in  that  year  a  system 
of  county  courts  was  established,  to  be  presided  over  by  a 
chief  justice  and  two  associate  justices  in  each  county. 
They  had  original  jurisdiction  in  all  civil  matters  not 
cognizable  by  a  justice  and  not  exceeding  one  thousand 
dollars,  and  of  crimes  and  offenses  where  the  punishment 
was  not  capital.  The  supreme  court  retained  original 
jurisdiction  in  all  civil  causes  where  the  matter  in  differ- 
ence exceeded  one  thousand  dollars,  all  causes  of  divorce 
and  alimony,  all  actions  in  ejectment,  trial  of  criminal 
actions  where  the  punishment  was  capital,  and  con- 
current jurisdiction  with  county  courts  in  trial  of  criminal 

106 


causes  generally,  and  appellate  jurisdiction  in  all  matters 
of  a  civil  nature  where  county  court  had  original  juris- 
diction. 

Congressional  action  in   1823  revolutionized  the  Ter- 
ritorial government.     It  provided  for  a  legislative  bod}' 
in   the   territorial    council   and   changed   the   tenure   of 
judicial  officer  from  life  to  four  years.     Three  judges 
still  constituted  the  supreme  court,  and  one  effect  of  the 
act  was  to  drop  Judge  Woodward  from  the  number. 
County  courts  were  still  retained  and  the  judges  of  the 
supreme  court  were  authorized  to  hold  court  in  given 
circuits,  the  places  of  holding  being  designated  as  Detroit, 
Monroe,   Mount  Clemens  and  St.   Clair.     The  judicial 
sj^stem  was  a  subject  of  frequent  legislation,  and  in  1833 
the  Territory  of  Michigan  east  of  the  lake  and  outside 
of  the  present  countj^  of  Wayne  was  created  into  a  judicial 
circuit,  to  which  the  Hon.  Wilham  A.  Fletcher  was  ap- 
pointed as  circuit  judge;  this  circuit  embraced  the  counties 
of  Monroe,  Lenawee,  Branch,  St.  Joseph,  Cass,  Berrien, 
Kalamazoo,    Calhoun,    Jackson,    Washtenaw,    Oakland, 
St.   Clair,   and  Macomb.     For    riding    this    circuit  and 
dispensing  justice.  Judge  Fletcher  received  one  thousand 
dollars  per  year.     Two  side  judges  lent  their  dignity  to 
the   court  and  were  a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of 
business,  but  no  person  charged  with  an  offense  above  the 
degree  of  a  misdemeanor  could  be  asked  to  stand  trial 
in  the  absence  of  the  presiding  judge;  but  no  one  escaped 
trial  for  this  reason,  for  the  journals  in  each  of  the  counties 
of  the  circuit  wall  show  that  Judge  Fletcher  was  generally 
on  hand  to  discharge  the  duties  of  his  office.     The  supreme 
court  continued  to  exist  as  such,  and  its  functions  as  a 

107 


circuit  court  were  likewise  retained  and  exercised  under 
the  name  of  superior  circuit  court  in  the  circuits  formed 
of  the  counties  to  which  they  had  first  been  appointed 
and  the  counties  attached  to  such  counties  for  judicial 
purposes.  Provision  had  been  likewise  made  for  a 
judiciary  in  that  vast  territory  under  Michigan  juris- 
diction embraced  within  the  bounds  of  Lake  Superior, 
Lake  Michigan,  the  Mississippi  River  and  the  southern 
limits  of  the  present  State  of  Iowa.  Such  were  the  con- 
ditions of  the  judiciary  of  Michigan  when  her  people 
adopted  the  constitution  of  1835.  Under  the  provisions 
of  that  instrument  one  of  the  first  acts  of  the  legislature 
of  1836  was  the  passage  of  an  act  to  organize  the  supreme 
court  and  to  establish  circuit  courts.  It  received  its 
approval  on  the  26th  day  of  March,  1836.  It  was  concise 
and  direct  in  its  terms.  The  supreme  court  was  to  be 
composed  of  three  judges,  the  first  named  of  whom  was 
to  be  the  chief  justice.  The  State  was  divided  into  three 
circuits  and  one  judge  of  the  supreme  court  was  assigned 
to  each  of  the  circuits,  while  in  each  county  provision 
was  made  for  the  election  of  two  associate  judges  for  the 
term  of  four  years  each.  Two  judges  of  the  supreme 
court  and  two  judges  of  circuit  court  in  each  instance 
formed  a  quorum,  but  in  the  circuit  courts  no  person 
could  be  tried  for  an  offense  of  greater  degree  than  a 
misdemeanor,  in  the  absence  of  the  presiding  judge.  The 
supreme  court  was  given  the  jurisdiction  of  the  supreme 
and  superior  circuit  courts  and  the  circuit  courts  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  circuit  court  of  the  former  Territory, 
except  equity  jurisprudence,  which  was  given  to  the 
care  of  a  chancellor's  court.     In  a  general  way  our  circuit 

108 


and  supreme  court  still  exercise  the  same  jurisdiction  as 
the  pioneer  courts  of  INIichigan. 

In  the  creation  of  the  circuits,  Wajnie,  IMacomb,  St. 
Clair,  Lapeer,  Michilimackinac  and  Chippewa,  and  the 
counties  attached  to  each  for  judicial  purposes,  con- 
stituted the  first  judicial  circuit.  The  second  judicial 
circuit  was  composed  of  the  counties  of  Moiu-oe,  Lenawee, 
Washtenaw,  Oakland,  Saginaw,  Jackson,  and  Hillsdale, 
and  likewise  the  counties  attached  to  such  counties  for 
judicial  purposes;  and  the  third  judicial  circuit  was 
formed  from  the  counties  of  Branch,  St.  Joseph,  Cass, 
Berrien,  Kalamazoo,  Allegan,  Calhoun,  and  Kent,  and  the 
counties  that  had  been  attached  to  them  for  judicial 
purposes.  The  law  made  provision  for  two  terms  of 
court  a  year  in  each  county,  while  the  supreme  court 
held  its  session  for  the  first  circuit  at  Detroit,  on  the  first 
Monday  of  September;  for  the  second  circuit,  at  Ann 
Arbor,  on  the  third  Monday  of  December;  and  for  the 
third  circuit,  at  Kalamazoo  on  the  first  Monday  in 
August.  The  meager  records  of  the  early  court  would 
seem  to  indicate  that  certiorari  w^as  the  most  popular 
means  of  revie^\^ng  questions  in  the  supreme  court, 
although  ^^Tit  of  error  and  case  made  were  frequently 
employed.  In  the  later  years  of  the  court  a  practice, 
not  without  merit,  seems  to  have  grown  up  of  reserving 
the  more  intricate  questions  and  cases  of  importance  in 
the  circuit  courts  for  reargument  and  submission  to  the 
full  bench. 

By  another  Act,  chancery  jurisdiction,  including  the 
power  to  grant  divorces,  was  conferred  upon  a  separate 
chancery  court,  presided  over  by  a  chancellor  who  was 

109 


required  to  hold  two  sessions  annually  in  each  of  the 
judicial  circuits  of  the  State,  the  clerk  of  the  supreme 
court  in  each  circuit  being  hkewise  a  register  in  chancery. 
From  the  decrees  of  the  chancellor  an  appeal  could  be 
taken  to  the  supreme  court. 

Most  State  officers  under  the  constitution  of  1835  were 
appointed  by  the  Governor,  and  the  judiciary  was  no 
exception.  The  first  appointment  for  member  of  the 
supreme  court,  made  by  Governor  Mason,  was  given  to 
William  Asa  Fletcher  of  Ann  Arbor,  who  had  taken  up 
his  residence  there  to  comply  with  the  law  of  1833  under 
which  he  had  been  made  the  circuit  judge  for  the  circuit 
east  of  Lake  Michigan;  being  the  first  named,  he 
thereby  became  the  chief  justice  and  entitled  to  sixteen 
hundred  dollars  per  year,  whereas  his  associates,  George 
Morrell  and  Epaphroditus  Ransom,  who  respectively 
occupied  the  circuit  benches  in  the  first  and  third  cir- 
cuits, received  but  fifteen  hundred  dollars  each;  which 
sum  was  likewise  the  compensation  of  the  chancellor, 
the  office  so  ably  filled  by  Elon  Farns worth. 

Judge  Fletcher  was  born  June  26,  1788.  He  was  the 
son  of  an  intelligent  New  Hampshire  farmer,  who  fre- 
quently filled  the  pulpit  of  the  Congregational  Church 
of  his  native  town  of  Plymouth.  His  mother  was  of  a 
prominent  family  of  the  State.  Judge  Fletcher  received 
a  good  education.  His  service  at  the  bar  of  Detroit 
dated  from  1821,  and  before  being  appointed  to  the  cir- 
cuit judgeship,  in  1833,  he  served  three  years  as  chief 
justice  of  the  Wayne  County  court  and  as  attorney 
general  of  the  Territory.  He  was  the  author  of  the  first 
compilation  of  the  statutes  of  the  State,  and  until  1842 

110 


served  with  honor  and  fideUty  in  the  high  position  of 
chief  justice.  He  died  at  Ann  Arbor,  September  19, 
1852;  and  it  is  not  to  the  credit  of  INIichigan  that  his 
ashes  repose  in  an  umnarked  and  perhaps  an  unkno^vn 
grave.  A  few  years  ago,  as  laborers  dug  a  sewer  through 
what  was  once  a  cemetery,  but  what  is  now  Felch  Park, 
in  Ann  Arbor,  they  discovered  a  casket  wiiich  an  aged 
lady  recognized  as  the  one  in  which  Judge  Fletcher  was 
consigned  to  earth;  where  this  was  placed  I  have  not 
learned,  but  wherever  it  may  be,  the  bench  and  bar  of 
Michigan  can  do  a  valuable  service  by  seeing  that  the 
fate  of  WiUiam  A.  Fletcher  shall  not  be  added  to  that  list 
which,  it  is  claimed,  shows  the  ingratitude  of    republics. 

Hon.  George  Morrell  was  two  years  the  senior  of  Judge 
Fletcher,  having  been  born  at  Lenox,  Massachusetts, 
March  22,  1786.  He  was  given  the  benefit  of  a  liberal 
education,  graduating  from  Wilham's  College  in  1807. 
His  legal  practice  began  in  1810,  and  before  his  removal 
to  Detroit  in  1832  his  attainments  were  such  as  to  cause 
his  elevation  to  the  federal  bench.  His  death  in  Detroit, 
March  8,  1845,  was  a  cause  of  profound  regret  to  a  circle 
that  was  wider  than  the  limits  of  the  State  of  his  adoption. 

Epaphroditus  Ransom  was  hkewise  a  son  of  New 
England,  having  been  born  at  Shelbourne  Falls,  New 
Hampshire  County,  Mass.,  in  1797.  It  was  his  o^vn 
exertions  that  made  it  possible  for  him  to  graduate  from 
Chester  Academy,  and  in  1832  from  the  law  school  of 
Northampton,  Mass.  He  died  at  Fort  Scott,  Kansas, 
in  November,  1859.  His  long  service  upon  the  supreme 
bench  of  Michigan  and  his  subsequent  election  to  the 
office  of  Governor  of  the  State,  are  sufficient  evidence  of 

111 


his  attainments  and  of  the  nobiUty  of  his  Hfe  and  pur- 
poses. 

Of  the  early  judicial  quartet,  Elon  Farnsworth  was  the 
younger,  he  having  been  born  at  Woodstock,  Vermont, 
in  1799;  he  also  was  the  recipient  of  a  college  training. 
He  came  to  Detroit  in  1822,  and  before  the  formation  of 
the  State  constitution  he  had  served  with  distinction  in 
the  Territorial  Council.  Of  his  administration  of  his 
judicial  office,  the  great  Chancellor  Kent  said:  "The 
administration  of  justice  in  equity  in  Michigan  under 
Chancellor  Farnsworth  is  enlightened  and  correct  and 
does  distinguished  honor  to  the  State." 

Perhaps  no  higher  compliment  to  his  service  can  be 
stated  than  to  restate  what  was  said  of  him  at  the  bar 
service  in  his  honor  at  Detroit  on  the  occasion  of  his 
death,  March  27,  1877;  which  was,  that  during  his  long 
years  of  service  as  chancellor  no  decision  of  his  had  ever 
been  reversed. 

These  men  deserve  our  highest  praise;  amidst  trials 
and  hardships  they  blazed  the  pathway  where  it  has  been 
easy  for  others  to  follow.  Through  weary  miles  of 
trackless  forests,  astride  the  ever  faithful  horse,  they 
took  their  way  to  the  crude  settlements  to  hold  court  in 
the  pioneer  schoolhouse,  sending  the  jury  to  deliberate 
under  the  shelter  of  a  near-by  oak,  or  perhaps  vacating, 
the  building  for  their  comfort.  They  laid  the  foundation 
of  our  judicial  system  in  honor  and  integrity;  they  were 
sturdy  characters,  in  every  way  worthy  of  our  present- 
day  emulation. 


ii: 


Michigan's  Debt  to  Stevens  T.  Mason 

The  debt  which  a  conimonwealth  owes  to  anj^  in- 
dividual must  ever  be  a  question  difficult  of  determina- 
tion. The  world  will  ever  owe  a  debt  of  gratitude  to 
that  army  of  men  and  women,  who,  deterred  by  no 
obstacles,  w^ith  faith  in  their  convictions,  with  courage 
and  intelligence,  do  their  duty.  The  man  who,  in  the 
full  view  of  the  multitude,  directs  the  affairs  of  state, 
has  no  better  claim  to  honor  and  distinction  than  the 
man  who,  in  the  lower  walks  of  life,  uncheered  by  the 
shouts  of  the  people,  does  his  duty.  Duty  should  ever 
be  our  guide,  the  claim,  and  duty  knows  no  path  of  pre- 
eminence or  distinction.  It  is  not'  given  to  men  to 
measure,  with  any  degree  of  certainty,  the  ultimate  value 
of  actions  and  events.  The  world  has  seen  men  who 
have  walked  the  earth  amid  a  blaze  of  glory  but  who,  in 
death,  have  left  nothing  of  value  to  the  race;  it  has  known 
others  who  have  -svTOUght  in  want  and  obscurity  to 
leave  an  influence  gro\ving  brighter  and  more  potent 
with  the  passing  j^ears. 

The  debt  which  the  great  State  of  Michigan  owes  to 
the  "boy  governor"  is  the  debt  due  for  duty  faithfully 
performed  in  the  sphere  where  circumstances  called  him, 
and  according  to  the  light  which  he  had. 

Stevens  Thomson  Mason  was  born  at  Leesburg, 
Loudoun  County,  Virginia,  on  the  27th  day  of  October, 
1811.  He  died  in  New  York  City,  January  4,  1843. 
Between  these  narrow  limits  his  life  was  lived,  the  greater 
part  of  it  for  the  State  of  Michigan;  and  yet,  until  now,  no- 

From  the  Michigan  Historical  CollecHonn,  XXXV,  244. 

113 


where  has  there  been  made  a  record  within  the  State  of 
even  the  place  of  his  birth,  or  an  acknowledgment  of 
gratitude  for  the  services  which  he  rendered. 

The  reason  for  this  is  not  difficult  to  find.  It  has  its 
origin  in  the  political  animosity  which  was  a  part  of  his 
time,  and  which  constrained  political  opponents  to  with- 
hold the  meed  of  praise  while  time  held  the  memory  of 
their  contests.  It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation  that 
those  days  are  passing,  and  that  the  great  State  of  Michi- 
gan is  about  to  bestow  a  deserved  tribute  to  his  memory. 

It  was  the  fortune  of  the  Boy  Governor  to  be  born  to 
the  heritage  of  a  good  name,  to  have  back  of  him  a  line 
of  men  who  had  a€hieved  great  things  for  their  State  and 
nation.  George  Mason,  as  the  author  of  the  "Bill  of 
Rights,"  and  the  first  constitution  of  Virginia,  the  friend 
of  George  Washington  and  Patrick  Henry,  left  a  name 
that  is  still  large  in  the  old  coimnonwealth  of  Virginia, 
His  son,  the  grandfather  of  the  Boy  Governor,  had  served 
with  distinction  as  the  first  United  States  senator  from 
his  State,  and  his  own  father.  General  John  T.  Mason, 
had  all  the  characteristics  of  his  blood.  When  John  T. 
Mason  closed  his  college  days  at  the  historic  college  of 
William  and  Mary,  he  brought  Elizabeth  Moyer  a  bride 
to  his  Loudoun  County  home.  Stevens  T,  was  the  first 
son  of  this  union,  and  we  may  well  imagine  the  scene 
which  was  enacted  in  the  old  manor  house  which  still 
stands  at  Raspberry  Plain,  when  the  numerous  army 
of  kinsfolk  gathered  to  bless  in  baptism  the  name  of  this 
infant  son. 

But  little  more  than  three  years  of  the  boy's  life  were 
to  be  spent  upon  Virginia  soil.     Kentucky  was  then  the 

114 


land  that  beckoned  to  the  ardent  spirits  of  old  Virginia, 
and  thither  John  T.  Mason  and  his  family  bent  their, 
way.  Before  1815,  he  had  become  one  of  the  leading 
figures  in  the  business  and  social  life  of  the  then  famed 
city  of  Lexington.  For  a  time  fortune  smiled  upon  his 
efforts  and  he  soon  held  a  high  place  in  the  legal  pro- 
fession, being  connected  in  no  small  way  -with  the  financial 
life  of  the  community,  while  many  a  broad  acre  of  the 
charming  blue  grass  country  was  his.  About  1820  he 
became  associated  with  others  in  the  iron  business  in  the 
vicinity  of  Omngsville,  Bath  County.  In  a  few  years 
business  depression  and  failing  fortune  swept  away  the 
greater  part  of  his  considerable  estate.  The  education  of 
Michigan's  future  first  Governor  had  not  been  neglected. 
At  first  by  private  tutor,  and  later  as  a  student  in  Tran- 
sylvania University,  his  time  had  been  well  employed; 
but  with  the  closing  days  of  the  twenties  the  young  lad 
left  his  books  to  become  the  helper  in  the  family  harness. 
As  a  grocer's  clerk  in  the  then  village  ot  Mt.  Sterling, 
although  but  a  lad,  he  learned  some  lessons  that  are  not 
taught  in  books. 

Enough  has  already  been  said  to  indicate  that  it  was 
financial  adversity  that  turned  the  attention  of  General 
John  T.  Mason  towards  a  political  appointment,  and 
which  brought  him  to  the  Territory  of  Michigan.  It 
was  to  repair,  if  possible,  his  shattered  fortune  that  he 
left  his  office  as  Secretary  of  the  Territory  and  journeyed 
to  Mexico,  after  first  obtaining  the  appointment  for  his 
son,  who  as  yet  lacked  some  weeks  of  his  nineteenth 
year. 

The  story  of  the  opposition  that  was  occasioned  by  the 

115 


appointment  has  passed  into  history.  It  was  to  the 
credit  of  the  young  man,  that  under  opposition  his  con- 
duct was  such  that  he  soon  won  the  hearts  and  con- 
fidence of  those  who  were  his  most  vigorous  opposers. 

It  was  the  Toledo  War,  of  course,  which  gave  to  the 
Boy  Governor  his  first  great  popularity.  Fortunately 
only  the  humorous  side  of  that  bloodless  struggle  now 
remains  to  us;  but  it  was  a  far  different  matter  in  1835. 
It  was  an'  issue  then  in  which  there  was  the  most  tense 
and  earnest  feeling,  and  no  one  voiced  that  feeling  in 
Michigan  with  more  zeal  and  fervor  than  did  Stevens  T. 
Mason.  So  insistent  did  he  become  in  championing  the 
rights  of  his  feeble  Territory,  that  President  Jackson, 
who  had  been  his  fast  friend  and  supporter,  was  con- 
strained to  remove  him,  and  appoint  a  more  pliable 
gentleman,  John  Horner  of  Virginia,  in  his  stead.  Had 
a  man  of  less  energy  and  less  insistence  occupied  the 
position  of  chief  executive  of  the  Territory,  we  may  well 
presume  that  Michigan  would  have  been  admitted  with- 
out the  Upper  Peninsula  as  a  Territorial  compensation 
for  the  wrong  she  suffered. 

As  has  been  already  shown,  aside  from  the  refining 
influence  of  a  cultured  home,  the  educational  advantages 
of  the  young  Governor  had  not  been  extensive.  His 
boyhood  had  been  passed  in  a  State  where  free  schools 
and  universal  education  were  unknown,  and  yet  one  of 
the  greatest  services  of  the  young  man  to  the  State  of 
his  adoption  was  to  be  in  the  cause  of  free  schools.  He 
appointed  John  D.  Pierce  to  the  important  office  of 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction  and  ably  championed 
his  every  effort.     There  is  scarcely  a  message  to  the 

116 


legislature  in  which  he  does  not  urge  the  need  of  universal 
education.  In  manj^  of  them  are  expressed  sentiments 
that  might  well  adorn  the  walls  of  every  schoolroom  in 
the  land. 

"If  our  country  is  ever  to  fall  from  her  high  position 
before  the  w^orld,  the  cause  will  be  found  in  the  ignorance 
of  the  people;  if  she  is  to  remain  w'here  she  now  stands, 
with  her  glory  undimmed,  educate  every  child  in  the 
land." 

Again  he  says: 

"Public  opinion  directs  the  course  which  our  govern- 
ment pursues;  and  as  long  as  the  people  are  enlightened, 
that  direction  ^vill  never  be  misgiven.  It  becomes  then 
our  imperious  duty,  to  secure  to  the  State  a  general 
diffusion  of  knowledge.  This  can  in  no  wise  be  so  cer- 
tainly effected,  as  by  the  perfect  organization  of  a  uniform 
and  liberal  system  of  common  schools.  Your  attention 
is  therefore  called  to  the  effectuation  of  a  perfect  school 
system  open  to  all  classes  as  the  surest  basis  of  public 
happiness  and  prosperity." 

He  once  interposed  his  veto  in  a  manner  to  save  a 
considerable  part  of  the  present  endowment  of  the  Uni- 
versity. It  was  an  institution  even  in  its  infancy  that 
was  strong  in  his  affections.  Speaking  of  it  in  its  days  of 
want  and  poverty,  he  once  said:  "With  fostering  care 
this  (the  University)  will  become  the  pride  of  the  great 
West."  This  prophecy  of  the  Boy  Governor  has  long 
since  become  true;  and  had  he  left  to  Michigan  no  other 
token  of  a  watchful  care,  his  efforts  for  the  great  Uni- 
versity of  Michigan  should  gain  for  him  our  everlasting 
gratitude. 

117 


In  the  establishment  of  our  penitentiary  system,  when 
the  doctrines  of  vengeance  were  still  carried  out  in  penal 
institutions,  Governor  Mason  A\Tote  into  the  records  of 
the  State: 

"Common  humanity  forbids  that  we  should  adopt  the 
rigid  system  of  solitary  confinement  ^\dthout  labor,  for 
experience  has  shown  that  the  imprisonment  of  the 
offender  without  occupation  destroys  the  mental  faculties 
•and  soon  undermines  the  cpnstitution." 

"The  reformation  of  the  morals  of  the  corrupt  and 
wicked,  the  enlightenment  of  the  ignorant  and  the  em- 
ployment of  the  idly  disposed,  are  cardinal  objects  not 
to  be  overlooked  in  your  system  of  discipline." 

Governor  Mason  early  accepted  the  situation  which 
gave  to  Michigan  the  "Upper  Peninsula,  and  with  rare 
foresight  his  first  message  asked  for  an  appropriation  for 
the  construction  of  a  ship  canal  around  the  falls  of  the 
river  Sault  Ste.  Marie.  Work  was  actually  begun,  and 
stopped  only  because  of  complications  with  the  National 
Government;  and  yet,  many  years  later,  Henry  Clay  and 
many  men  of  national  prominence  were  declaiming 
against  the  expenditure  as  being  upon  a  work  beyond  the 
farthest  limits  of  human  habitation.  The  procession  of 
black  funnels  that  now  steadily  pass  this  great  waterway 
are  a  monument  to  the  young  man  who  blazed  the  way. 

It  is  not  to  his  discredit  to  say  that  he  sometimes  made 
mistakes,  but  it  is  to  his  credit  to  say  that  such  as  he 
made  were  never  the  product  of  a  vicious  design. 

"Tom"  Mason,  as  he  was  famiUarly  called,  never 
arrogated  to  himself  the  possession  of  superior  abihties. 
He  was  a  young  man  of  spirit  and  pleasing  personality. 

118 


Although  fate  took  him  to  a  distant  State,  his  continuing 
affection  and  last  thought  was  the  land  of  his  heart 
beside  the  great  lakes  of  the  North;  and  the  great  State 
of  jMichigan  has  done  well  to  place  his  ashes  where  they 
will  mingle  with  the  soil  of  her  metropolis,  amid  the 
familiar  scenes  of  his  fondest  hopes  and  aspirations. 


119 


Removal  of  Governor  Mason's  Remains 

Stevens  Thomson  Mason,  the  first  Governor  of  Michi- 
gan, died  in  the  city  of  New  York,  January  4,  1843,  and 
the  body  was  interred  in  the  vault  of  his  father-in-law, 
Thaddeus  Phelps,  in  what  was  known  as  the  Marble 
Cemetery,  located  in  the  block  bounded  by  the  Bowery 
and  Second  Avenue  and  Second  and  Third  Streets. 

For  many  years  the  surviving  sister  of  the  deceased. 
Miss  Emily  V.  Mason  of  Washington,  had  entertained  a 
desire  that  the  mortal  remains  should  be  removed  to 
Michigan  soil.  This  desire  was  conveyed  to  the 
authorities  of  the  State,  and  the  State  Legislature  of 
1891,  by  concurrent  resolution  (Public  Acts  1891,  Page 
329),  made  provision  for  the  transfer  of  the  body  to  the 
grounds  of  the  State  Capitol  at  Lansing.  A  change  in 
the  administration  of  State  affairs,  in  1893,  distracted 
attention  from  the  project  and  nothing  resulted  from  the 
legislative  action. 

In  the  winter  of  1904-05,  Mr.  Hugo  A.  Gilmartin, 
while  representing  the  Detroit  Free  Press  in  the  city  of 
Washington,  met  and  became  acquainted  with  Miss 
Emily  V.  Mason,  then  in  her  ninety-first  year.  He 
learned  of  the  desire  of  the  surviving  relatives  of  Governor 
Mason  that  his  body  be  removed  from  its  resting  place  in 
New  York,  and  through  Mr.  Gilmartin  and  Mr.  Lawton 
T.  Hemans,  of  Mason,  who  had  done  some  work  of  a 
biographical  nature  on  the  hfe  of  the  Boy  Governor,  the 
matter  was  brought  to  the  attention  of  the  Michigan 
authorities.     The  legislature  then  in  session,  as  soon  as 


From  the  Michigan  Historical  Collections,  XXXV,  32. 

120 


apprised  of  the  willingness  of  the  relatives  that  the  body 
should  be  removed,  unanimouslj'  provided  for  the  re- 
moval (Concurrent  Resolution  No.  1,  Pubhc  Acts  1905). 

In  pursuance  of  the  authority  given  by  the  resolution, 
Hon.  Fred  M.  Warner,  Governor  of  the  State,  appointed 
the  Hons.  Daniel  McCoy  of  Grand  Rapids,  Arthur 
Holmes  of  Detroit,  and  La%Ai:on  T.  Hemans  of  Mason, 
as  commissioners  to  carry  the  resolution  into  effect. 
Repairing  to  New  York  City,  they  with  the  assistance  of 
Mr. Edward  H.  Wright,  Jr.,  of  Newark,  N.  J.,  and  a  grand- 
son of  Governor  Mason,  had  the  body  disinterred.  The 
indentity  of  the  remains  was  clearly  established  by  a 
silver  plate  on  the  casket,  which  bore  the  inscription, 
"S.  T.  Mason  Died  Jan.  4th,  1843." 

This  commission,  accompanied  at  the  special  in\'itation 
of  the  State  of  Michigan  by  Miss  Emily  V.  Mason,  of 
Washington,  D.  C,  the  sister;  Mrs.  Dorothea  Wright,  of 
Newark,  N.  J.,  the  daughter;  Edward  H.  Wright,  Jr.,  the 
grandson,  and  Stevens  T.  Mason,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  a 
grand  nephew,  then  acted  as  escort  to  the  remains  on 
the  journey  to  Michigan,  arriving  at  Detroit  Sunday 
morning,  June  4,  1905. 

At  once,  upon  action  being  taken  by  the  State 
authorities,  Hon.  George  P.  Codd,  Mayor  of  Detroit, 
sent  a  special  message  to  the  common  council  of  that 
city  calling  attention  to  the  action  of  the  State  Legis- 
lature, and  the  common  council  took  appropriate  action 
providing  for  the  interment  of  the  remains  in  Capitol 
Park.  When  the  work  had  been  executed  and  the  grave 
excavated,  it  was  found  to  be  in  the  very  foundation  of 
the  Territorial  and  first  State  Capitol  building,  a    fitting 

121 


resting  place  for  the  ashes  of  the  State's  first  Governor. 

The  Michigan  Pioneer  and  Historical  Society  extended 
an  invitation  to  the  Mason  family  to  attend  its  annual 
meeting,  June  6  and  7.  This  was  accepted,  and  a 
memorial  service  was  arranged  for  Thursday  evening. 
The  common  council  of  the  city  of  Lansing  passed  a 
resolution  of  welcome  to  the  State's  guests,  and  an  in- 
formal reception  in  their  honor  by  the  legislature  was 
held  in  the  House  of  Representatives. 

On  June  7  the  Mason  party,  at  the  request  of  the 
common  council  of  the  city  of  Mason,  paid  a  visit  to  the 
city  named  in  honor  of  the  first  Governor,  where  they 
were  entertained  at  the  home  of  Mr.  L.  T.  Hemans,  and 
cordially  welcomed  by  the  leading  citizens  of  the  place. 

REINTERMENT  OF  GOV.  STEVENS  T.  MASON 

The  Detroit  Free  Press  and  Detroit  Tribune  give  the 
following  report  of  the  obsequies  at  Detroit,  June  4, 
1905: 

Detroit,  which  was  in  a  very  real  sense  the  first,  last 
and  greatest  joy  of  Stevens  Thomson  Mason,  has,  after 
the  lapse  of  more  than  six  decades,  received  the  mortal 
remains  of  the  man  who  left  her  only  to  mourn  in  that 
he  was  separated  £rom  the  scene  of  his  trials  and  his 
many  triumphs. 

Today  the  casket  containing  the  remains  of  Michigan's 
first  Governor  lies  beneath  the  foundation  walls  of  the 
building  which  saw  the  greater  portion  of  those  victories — 
the  old  State  Capitol.  Both  the  man  and  the  structure 
are  crumbled  into  dust,  but  neither  are  forgotten,  and 
their  influence  is  still  felt  in  the  every-day  life  of  Michigan. 

122 


From  the  depot  to  the  Light  Guard  armory,  from  the 
armory  to  the  stone-Hned  grave  in  Capitol  Square  park, 
was  but  a  few  steps,  nevertheless  the  hearse  that  bore 
the  remains  of  Gov.  ]Mason  through  the  streets  that 
afford  passage  between  these  points,  traversed  that  which 
was  not  only  the  heart  but  the  greater  portion  of  Detroit 
in  the  days  which  saw  the  beginning  of  things  as  the 
people  today  know  them. 

"It  was  a  remarkable  thing  about  Gov.  Mason  that  he 
was  as  popular  when  he  died  as  when  he  was  first  elected 
Governor." 

These  were  the  words  of  C.  ]M.  Burton  as  he  looked 
upon  3'esterday's  solemn  pageant,  and  if  there  were  many 
who  had  never  before  heard  the  name  of  Stevens  Thomson 
Mason,  there  was  also  a  goodly  company  that  paid  real 
reverence  to  the  remains  of  the  man  who  was  the  leader 
of  their  forefathers. 

The  INIichigan  Central  train  that  bore  the  remains  of 
Gov.  Mason  from  New  York  to  Detroit  arrived  in  this 
city  about  9:15  yesterday  morning — and,  here  may  be 
noted  a  significant  fact,  that  it  was  Gov.  Mason  who  did 
more  than  any  other  one  man  to  procure  for  the  road 
which  brought  back  his  ashes,  its  first  charter. 

MET   BY    GUARD 

The  party  of  relatives,  with  its  precious  charge,  was 
met  at  the  depot  by  Company  "A,"  of  the  Detroit  Light 
Guard,  as  representatives  of  a  body  of  which  the  dead 
man  was  once  a  member,  by  a  platoon  of  police  under 
command  of  Sergt.  Jacciues,  and  by  Gov.  Warner  and 
his  staff  and  Mayor  George  P.  Codd. 

123 


The  military  and  the  poUce  acted  as  an  immediate 
escort  for  the  remains,  six  members  of  the  "Broadway 
squad,"  Patrolman  F.  J.  Clark,  James  J.  McCarthy, 
Thomas  J.  Reardon,  Peter  McHugh,  F.  J.  Stahl  and 
Julius  Kling,  serving  in  the  capacity  of  active  pallbearers. 

It  was  the  intent  of  those  in  charge  to  have  the  casket 
removed  from  the  outer  oak  box  in  which  the  coffin  was 
shipped,  but  it  was  fomid  that  handles  were  absent  from 
the  casket,  and  it  could  not,  in  consequence,  be  lifted 
from  its  covering. 

As  the  casket  was  taken  from  the  train,  a  national  flag 
was  thrown  over  it,  and  this  was,  in  its  turn,  half  hidden 
under  a  wealth  of  ascension  lilies  and  smilax. 

BORNE   FROM   STATION 

The  casket  was  borne  out  of  the  station  between  long 
lines  of  spectators  and  was  placed  in  a  hearse  and  im- 
mediately carried  out  Jefferson  avenue  to  the  Light 
Guard  armory. 

In  the  meantime,  the  Governor  and  his  staff,  the 
mayor  and  the  members  of  the  local  committee  had  met 
the  party  from  New  York,  consisting  of  relatives  of  Gov. 
Mason,  and  these  two  parties  followed  the  remains  to 
the  armory,  after  which  they  breakfasted  together  at 
the  Russell  house. 

In  this  company  were  Emily  V.  Mason,  sister  of  Gov. 
Mason;  Mrs.  Dorothea  Mason  Wright,  of  Newark,  N. 
J.,  daughter  of  Gov.  Mason;  Ed.  H.  Wright  and  Capt. 
WiUiam  Mason  Wright,  grandsons;  Wilham  Mason 
Wright,  Jr.,  great-grandson;  Stevens  T.  Mason,  a  grand 
nephew;  Hon.   Daniel  McCoy,   of  Grand   Rapids;   Col. 

124 


Arthur  L.  Holmes,  of  Detroit,  and  La"s\i;oii  T.  Hemans, 
of  Mason,  of  the  Gov.  IMason  commission;  Gov.  Warner, 
Mayor  Codd,  ]Miss  Carrie  Godfrey,  of  Detroit;  ^Miss 
Kittie  Barnard,  of  Detroit,  and  Aid.  D.  E.  Heineman, 
chairman  of  the  local  committee. 

From  the  time  of  the  arrival  of  the  remains  in  the 
armor}^  until  they  were  removed  to  their  last  resting 
place,  strict  military  guard  was  maintained  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Detroit  Light  Guard.  The  casket,  still 
covered  -with  the  bamier  and  flowers,  rested  upon  a 
catafalque  of  purple,  which  stood  just  below  the  big 
platform.  Surrounding  it  on  all  sides  rose  a  mass  of 
palms,  evergreens  and  smaller  plants,  while  above  it  a 
canopy  of  black  emphasized  the  idea  of  mourning.  A 
huge  national  flag  served  as  a  general  background. 

Such  was  the  scene  that  greeted  the  2,000  or  more 
persons  who  entered  the  hall  between  1  and  2:20  p.  m. 
At  the  close  of  that  period  a  burst  of  military  music  of 
peculiar  solemnity  announced  to  the  people  that  the 
services  were  about  to  open. 

HEAD    OF    PROCESSION 

The  procession  was  headed  by  Maj'or  Codd,  who  first 
of  all  escorted  Miss  Emily  V.  Mason,  the  aged  sister  of 
Gov.  Mason,  to  the  platform.  In  spite  of  her  very  ad- 
vanced years.  Miss  Mason  Avalkcd  \vith  a  firm  step,  in 
which  was  visible  the  joy  of  accomplishment,  for  it  has 
been  her  lifelong  dream  to  see  the  body  of  her  distin- 
guished brother  placed  to  rest  within  the  State  over  which 
he  ruled. 

Following  Miss  Mason  and  the  mayor  came  the  other 

125 


members  of  the  family  and  their  friends,  then  Gov. 
Warner,  Senator  R.  A.  Alger,  former  Gov.  Rich,  D.  M. 
Ferry,  Gen.  Henry  R.  Mizner,  Maj.  Arthur  P.  Loomis, 
Gen.  McGurrin,  Col.  Bates  and  Gen.  Kidd  and  repre- 
sentatives of  the  State  Legislature.   • 

The  services  were  opened  by  a  short  prayer  from  the 
lips  of  Rev.  Dr.  D.  M.  Cooper,  pastor  emeritus  of  the 
Memorial  Presbyterian  church.  There  was  considerable 
of  thanksgiving  in  the  petition,  chiefly  for  the  good 
wrought  by  the  man  whose  remains  lay  before  the  as- 
sembled company. 

mayor's  opening  address 

"In  all  those  few  years  of  life  that  were  given  to  Gov. 
Mason  after  he  left  the  State  of  Michigan  he  had  one 
earnest  desire — to  return  to  that  State  which  had  so 
honored  him,  and  which  he  had  so  honored,"  said  Mayor 
Codd,  in  opening  the  service.  "Fate,  however,  decreed 
otherwise  and  this  is  his  first  home-coming  since  leaving 
Michigan  shortly  after  the  expiration  of  his  governor- 
ship." 

GOV.    WARNER   SPOKE 

At  the  close  of  this  brief  talk,  the  presiding  officer  of 
the  occasion,  Gov.  Warner,  told  in  an  eloquent  manner 
of  the  many  praiseworthy  qualities  of  former  Gov. 
Mason,  referring  to  him  as  one  of  the  men  to  whom  the 
State  of  Michigan  owes  its  splendid  foundation. 

"He  was  a  man  of  character,"  said  Gov.  Warner. 
"He  was  a  man  possessing  great  mental  strength,  great 
virtue  and  unusual  geniality.     He  stood  for  right  and 

126 


had  the  courage  to  express  his  convictions,  no  matter 
what  forces  opposed  him.  Stevens  Thomson  Mason  was 
a  statesman  of  the  highest  type. 

"I  believe  Michigan  is  doing  herself  a  great  honor  in 
providing  for  an  occasion  of  this  sort,"  said  his  excellency. 
"For  in  this  manner,  the  ancient  patriotism  is  instilled 
into  the  minds  of  our  children. 

"Our  first  Governor  had  to  begin  wdth  the  funda- 
mentals. There  was  no  public  school  system,  practically 
no  railroads;  things  were  in  their  begiiming,  and  if  Michi- 
gan has  prospered  it  is  because  of  the  foundations  laid 
by  her  first  Governor.  The  State  has  done  well;  it  has 
done  its  simple  duty  in  bringing  the  ashes  of  Gov.  Mason 
home." 

c.  M.  burton's  address 

President  Burton,  of  the  State  Pioneer  and  Historical 
Society,  delivered  the  principal  address.  He  told  of  the 
public  life  of  Mason  and  what  the  latter  has  accomplished, 
saying  in  part : 

"We  are  here  to  pay  tribute  to  the  memory  of  one  of 
the  men  who  made  our  State;  whose  hand  and  brain 
guided  our  Territory  through  its  last  years,  and  who  helped 
to  lay  the  solid  foundation  of  the  commonwealth  over 
which  he  was  the  first  to  preside. 

"He  was  the  last  Acting  Governor  of  a  Territory  nearly 
as  large  as  the  combined  areas  of  the  thirteen  colonies, 
and  his  power  was  as  great  as  that  confided  to  any  man 
in  this  country. 

"His  sway  extended  over  more  than  250,000  square 
miles  of  land,  and  the  territory  under  his  management 

127 


as  Governor  reached  from  the  Detroit  River  on  the  east 
to  the  Missouri  River  on  the  west,  comprising  the  present 
States  of  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and  Iowa. 

HIS  VAST   TERRITORY 

''Over  this  vast  empire  he  was  chosen  to  preside  as 
Acting  Governor  before  he  had  reached  his  twenty-first 
birthday.  He  was  elected  Governor  of  the  State  at  the 
age  of  twenty-four  years. 

"In  person  he  was  of  a  slender,  flexible  and  elegant 
figure,  with  small,  aristocratic  hands  and  feet.  His  face 
was  full,  his  forehead  was  not  high,  but  rather  broad, 
and  his  brown,  waving  hair  fell  in  rich  clusters  about  his 
head. 

"His  blue  eyes  beamed  brightly  and  were  radiant  with 
sympathy  and  geniality,  but  when  aroused  and  animated 
showed  their  owner  was  a  man  of  will,  of  courage  and 
decision.  His  nose  was  prominent  and  with  his  well- 
shaped  chin  and  jaw  betokened  force  and  determination. 

"He  was  born,  the  son  of  John  T.  Mason,  of  Virginia, 
in  1812,  but  was  educated  in  Kentucky,  whither  the 
elder  Mason  had  removed  while  the  son  was  still  a  lad. 

A  politician's  son 

"The  father  was  a  politician  of  considerable  note  and 
was  appointed  secretary  of  Michigan  Territory  in  1830, 
succeeding  Judge  James  Witherell.  The  elder  Mason 
removed  to  Detroit  immediately  after  his  appointment, 
bringing  with  him  his  family  of  one  son,  Stevens,  and 
four  daughters,  Emily,  Catherine,  Laura  and  Theodosia. 

"Young  Mason  conducted  the  affairs  of  his  father's 

128 


office  as  clerk  for  nearly  a  year  and  thus  became  familiar 
with  all  the  duties  of  secretary.  His  father  subsequently 
resigned  to  accept  a  private  commission,  and  Stevens 
was  appointed  by  President  Jackson  to  succeed  him. 

''The  appointment  of  a  minor  was  received  with  dis- 
favor, and  a  mass  meeting  protesting  was  held,  but  a 
calm,  dispassionate  and  temperate  reply  made  by  young 
Mason  served  to  allay  the  excitement  to  a  large  extent. 

WON    OVER   OPPOSITION 

"In  the  end,  the  unchangeable  appointment  of  Presi- 
dent Jackson  stood,  for  'Old  Hickory'  never  flinched  in 
any  contest,  and  it  became  the  duty  of  the  people  to 
submit. 

"Almost  at  the  time  of  Mason's  appointment  as 
secretary.  Gov.  Lewis  Cass  accepted  the  portfolio  of 
secretary  of  war.  Thus  the  boy  secretary  became  the 
governor  of  the  territory,  pursuant  to  the  law. 

"George  B.  Porter  was  appointed  governor  soon 
afterward.  On  the  last  day  of  the  following  October, 
1831,  Porter  left  Detroit  and  was  absent  for  several 
months,  leaving  young  Mason  at  the  helm. 

TIME   OF   GREAT   THINGS 

"The  council  was  occupied  with  much  important  work. 
Many  bills  were  introduced.  Among  them  were:  The 
grant  of  the  upper  peninsula  to  the  State  of  Michigan, 
the  formation  of  the  State  of  Michigan,  the  abolition  of 
imprisonment  for  debt,  incorporation  of  the  Lake  Michi- 
gan Steamship  Company,  the  enlargement  of  the  city  of 
Detroit,    location   of   territorial   roads   to   Chicago   and 

129 


Grand  Rapids,  prohibition  of  the  sale  of  lottery  tickets, 
establishment  of  State  banks,  establishment  of  common 
schools  in  Detroit,  and  the  incorporation  of  the  Detroit 
&  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company,  now  the  Michigan 
Central. 

"By  this  time  the  people  had  learned  to  repose  as  much 
confidence  in  'the  boy  Governor'  as  in  the  Governor 
himself. 

BECAME    GOVERNOR 

"In  1834  cholera  visited  Michigan,  and  among  other 
prominent  men  who  succumbed  was  Gov.  Porter.  From 
that  time  on,  during  the  remainder  of  his  life  in  Detroit, 
Mason  was  Governor. 

"The  tide  of  immigration  set  in  strongly  in  1835  and 
the  territory  thrived  wondrously,  for  wealth  came  with 
labor  and  population.  Lake  traffic  increased,  and  it 
was  estimated  that  during  the  summer  months  1,000 
strangers  landed  every  day  on  the  wharves  of  Detroit. 

"What  was  commonly  known  as  the  Toledo  war  took 
place  at  about  this  time.  It  was  a  war  without  much 
bloodshed,  and  one  that  is  frequently  referred  to  with  a 
smile  of  derision,  but  it  resulted  in  greater  gains  to  the 
State  of  Michigan  than  the  wisest  statesman  of  that  day 
could  foretell. 

THE    GREAT   EXCHANGE 

"Michigan  claimed  its  southerly  line  reached  the 
western  extremity  of  Lake  Erie.  Such  a  line  would  have 
included  within  the  State  limits  the  city  of  Toledo. 

"Ohio    disputed    Michigan's    claim,    and    under    the 

130 


leadership  of  Gov.  Mason,  Michigan  resorted  to  arms, 
but  congress  finally  settled  the  controversy ;  in  lieu  of  this 
small  tract,  Michigan  accepted  the  northern  peninsula 
as  now  outlined. 

"In  this  exchange  Mason  builded  better  than  he  knew, 
for  it  was  the  laying  of  the  foundation  of  the  immense 
lake  traffic  that  we  now  have. 

URGED    SHIP    CANAL 

''Mason  advocated  the  construction  of  a  ship  canal 
around  the  falls  of  St.  Mary's  river  and  the  granting  of 
charters  to  railroads  where  the  grant  was  made  for  public 
good.  He  also  desired  to  connect  the  great  lakes  with  a 
ship  canal  across  Michigan. 

"He  asked  that  gold  and  silver  be  used  as  the  cir- 
culating medium  for  money,  and  that  the  issue  of  paper 
money  be  curtailed  as  much  as  possible. 

"In  his  message  to  the  Legislature  advocating  the 
establishment  of  a  common  school  to  be  free  to  all  children 
and  supported  bj^  public  revenues,  and,  in  further  ad- 
vocac}^  of  a  State  university  to  be  built  on  the  broad 
lines  that  have  made  the  institution  one  of  the  greatest 
in  the  world — an  honor  to  the  State  and  to  the  nation — 
he  displaj^ed  his  great  foresight. 

REMOVAL   AND    DEATH 

"Governor  Mason  remained  in  office  until  the  close  of 
1839,  when  he  went  to  New  York  City  to  take  up  the 
practice  of  law.  A  few  years  later  he  died  from  scarlet 
fever  in  that  city. 

"Separated  for  more  than  half  a  century  from  the  land 

131 


he  loved  so  well,  he  has  been  returned  to  us  today,  and 
his  ashes  will  repose  on  the  spot  where  the  greatest 
achievement  of  his  life  took  place — the  site  of  the  first 
Capitol  of  a  mighty  State. 

"Let  there  be  erected  above  him  a  monument  -^ath 
suitable  inscription,  so  that  the  present  and  future  genera- 
tions may  truthfully  say  Republics  are  not  always  un- 
grateful." 

The  last  stated  speaker  of  the  afternoon  was  Hon. 
Lawton  T.  Hemans,  of  Mason,  resident  of  a  town  which 
bears  the  name  of  the  "boy  Governor." 

Mr.  Hemans'  talk  was  eulogistic  and  eloquent  and  he 
referred  in  a  touching  manner  to  a  letter  written  by  Gov. 
Mason  to  his  sister  a  few  weeks  before  his  death,  in  which 
the  writer  expressed  the  hope  that  he  might,  in  future, 
spend  his  summer  vacations  in  this  city. 

Then  followed  what  was  probably  the  most  touching 
incident  of  the  whole  day.  Scarcely  had  Mr.  Hemans 
taken  his  seat,  when  Rev.  Dr.  Cooper  rose,  and,  in  a 
voice  trembling  with  emotion,  asked  permission  to  add 
his  personal  tribute. 

DR.    cooper's   reminiscence 

""I  remember  so  well  the  day  when  I,  as  a  lad,  saw 
tjov.  Mason  descend  from  the  capltol  steps,  clad  in  the 
white  blanket  which  was  the  style  of  the  day,  a  gold 
headed  cane  in  his  hand,  and,  altogether,  the  hand- 
somest man,  with  perhaps  one  exception,  that  I  have 
ever  looked  upon. 

"Yet,  just  then,  the  impulse  came  upon  me  to  insult 

132 


him  and,  as  he  passed,  I  shouted  out  a  taunt  wdth  reference 
to  an  increase  in  his  salary. 

"In  fear  of  his  big  cane,  I  climbed  up  the  capitol  steps 
— I  was  brave  enough  not  to  run  away — and  the  Governor 
turned  and  followed  me.  I  was  astonished  when  he 
walked  up  to  me,  put  his  arms  around  my  neck  and,  for 
five  minutes,  gave  me  the  sweetest,  most  fatherly  talk 
imaginable.  I  cannot  remember  one  word  of  what  he 
said,  but  that  impression  has  remained  with  me  ever 
since,  and  I  have  never  ceased  to  love  the  man  and  his 
memory." 

The  speaker's  eyes  were  filled  -with  tears  and  his  emotion 
was  reflected  in  the  countenance  of  Miss  Mason  when  he 
stepped  to  her  side  as  she  sat  on  the  platform  and  shook 
hands  with  her,  expressing  his  satisfaction  at  being  able 
to  bear  so  sweet  a  testimony  to  the  lovableness  of  her 
dead  brother, 

DEPARTURE   TO   ARMORY 

The  First  Regiment  band  played,  "Come,  Ye  Dis- 
consolate," the  order  to  ground  arms,  followed  by  that  to 
fall  in,  was  given,  and  the  "Broadway  squad,"  con- 
sisting of  the  six  giant  policemen  of  the  Detroit  force, 
carried  the  remains  of  the  First  Governor  to  the  hearse.- 

Follo^^^ng  the  remains  came  Miss  Mason,  sister  of 
deceased,  who,  under  the  escort  of  Gov.  Mason's  grand- 
son, William  Mason  Wright,  and  his  great-grandson, 
William  IMason  Wright,  Jr.,  stepped  into  her  carriage, 
her  way  being  lined  by  officers  of  the  First  Infantry. 

Literally  packed  was  Lamed  street  with  persons  of 
every  walk  in  life,  and  a  deathlike  stillness  prevailed  as 

133 


the  venerable  lady  entered  the  carriage  provided  for  her. 
The  cortege,  which  formed  on  Jefferson  avenue,  was 
made  up  in  the  following  order : 

THOSE   IN    COLUMN 

Mounted  police,  under  Capt.  Lemuel  Guyman;  police 
on  foot  from  the  First  precinct,  commanded  by  Capt. 
John  T.  Spillane;  Chief  Marshal  George  W.  Fowle  and 
staff;  Gen.  W.  S.  Green,  chief  of  staff,  and  aides;  John  P. 
Kirk,  of  Ypsilanti,  colonel  of  the  First  Infantry,  and 
staff;  First  Regiment  band;  First  Infantry;  Michigan 
State  Naval.  Brigade;  the  hearse;  family  in  carriages; 
Gov.  Fred  M.  Warner  and  staff,  accompanied  by  United 
States  Senator  Russell  A.  Alger  and  Mayor  George  P. 
Codd;  State  commissioners;  committees  of  the  House  of 
Representatives;  members  of  the  common  council  and 
the  board  of  estimates;  members  of  the  board  of  education. 

The  line  of  march  was  from  Jefferson  to  Woodward 
avenue;  up  Woodward  to  Michigan  avenue;  on  Michigan 
to  Rowland  street;  on  Rowland  to  Capitol  Square. 

Along  the  line  of  march  thousands  of  persons  covered 
the  sidewalks,  and  a  remarkable  crowd  it  was.  Every- 
body seemed  to  appreciate  the  solemnity  of  the  occasion, 
for  hardly  the  sound  of  a  voice  was  heard  as  the  pro- 
cession marched  slowly  to  the  place  of  interment,  taking 
twenty  minutes  to  go  that  short  distance. 

CITY   HALL   BELL   TOLLED 

Meanwhile  the  bell  on  the  city  hall  was  tolled  at  in- 
tervals of  one  minute. 

The    procession    presented    an    inspiring    sight    as    it 

134 


marched  up  Woodward  avenue  and  past  the  city  hall, 
headed  by  the  mounted  pohce.  No  cavalry  that  ever 
paraded  the  streets  of  Detroit  presented  a  grander  sight 
than  did  this  hand!ul  of  mounted  policemen,  with  their 
well-trained  and  magnificent  looking  bays,  led  by  Capt. 
GmTnan  on  a  jet  black  animal.  Only  the  solemnity  of 
the  occasion  kept  the  immense  crowds  from  breaking 
out  into  applause. 

As  it  was,  the  people  simply  looked  on  in  admiration 
of  the  well-drilled  men  and  their  well-trained  horses. 

"MICHIGAN,   MY  MICHIGAN" 

Upon  the  arrival  of  the  remains  at  Capitol  Square,  the 
police  on  guard  over  the  last  resting  place  of  the  first 
Governor,  presented  arms,  and  the  officers  of  the  First 
Infantrj^  lined  up  on  either  side  of  the  path.  Following 
the  casket  came  the  immediate  relatives,  the  band  mean- 
time plajdng,  "Michigan,  My  Michigan." 

The  venerable  Miss  Mason,  with  tears  in  her  eyes,  led 
the  httle  great-grandson  of  the  first  Governor  to  a  seat 
under  the  pavilion.  The  other  relatives  followed,  and 
then  came  the  remainder  of  the  distinguished  party  in- 
cluding Gov.  Warner,  Mayor  Codd,  Hon.  John  T.  Rich, 
Hon.  Lawton  T.  Hemans  and  many  others. 

Simple  were  the  services  at  the  grave.  As  the  body 
was  slowly  lowered  into  the  earth.  Rev.  D.  M.  Cooper 
pronounced  the  benediction,  and  the  band  played  "  Nearer, 
My  God,  to  Thee."  All  this  time  the  color-bearers  held 
the  flags  of  the  Union  and. the  State  above  the  tomb — 
the  silent  flag  salute. 

Miss  Mason  and  her  little  great  grand-nephew  cast 

135 


flowers  upon  the  casket  as  it  slowly  sank  out  of  sight,  the 
former  retaining  one  rose  from  the  bouquet,  which  she 
held  back  as  a  cherished  souvenir  qf  a  moment  which 
was,  probably,  the  proudest  of  her  life. 

THREE    VOLLEYS   AND    "tAPS" 

Then  followed  the  parting  salute  to  the  dead  from  the 
firing  party,  the  bugle  call,  "taps,"  and  the  ceremony 
was  over. 

Capitol  Square  park  was  filled  from  one  end  to  the 
other,  and  as  the  distinguished  visitors  moved  away  there 
was  a  general  rush  from  all  sides  by  curious  persons  who 

« 

wanted  to  look  down  into  the  tomb.  It  was  with  con- 
siderable difficulty  that  the  police  kept  them  back,  thus 
preventing,  perhaps,  serious  accidents. 

But  still  the  crowd  remained  and  it  was  fully  three- 
quarters  of  an  hour  before  Capitol  Square  resumed  its 
normal  conditions. 

As  to  the  number  of  persons  who  turned  out  to  honor 
the  memory  of  Gov.  Mason,  suffice  it  to  say  that  the  street 
cars  were  taxed  to  their  capacity  and  emptied  their 
human  freight  by  the  carloads  into  Cadillac  Square  for 
two  hours  before  the  funeral  cortege  passed. 

SOME   OF   THOSE    IN    PROCESSION 

Following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  men  in  official  capacity 
who  marched  in  the  funeral  procession:  Hon.  Fred  M. 
Warner,  Governor  of  the  State;  Hon.  George  P.  Codd, 
mayor  of  Detroit;  ex-Gov.  John  T.  Rich,  Hon.  Daniel 
McCoy  of  Grand  Rapids;  Col.  Arthur  L.  Holmes  and 
Hon.  Lawton  T.  Hemans,  of  Mason,  members  of  the 

136 


Gov.  Mason  State  commission;  Hon.  Charles  Smith,  Hon. 
Orlando  C.  Moffatt  and  Hon.  John  D.  McKay,  com- 
mittee of  the  State  Senate;  Hon.  James  S.  Monroe,  Hon. 
Junius  E.  Beal,  Hon.  Archibald  F.  Bunting,  Hon.  Martin 
Hanlon  and  Hon.  David  Stockdale,  committee  of  the 
House  of  Representatives;  Aid.  David  E.  Heineman, 
Max  C.  Koch,  George  Ellis,  Richard  M.  Watson  and 
Louis  E.  Tossy,  committee  of  the  Detroit  common 
council. 


137 


Douglass  Houghton 

We  are  assembled  here  today  to  do  honor  to  the  memory 
of  a  man  who  during  his  short  earthly  career  was  an  ex- 
ceptionally forceful  influence  for  the  progress  and  de- 
velopment of  our  commonwealth.  In  the  erection  of  a 
monument  to  his  memory  we  are  performing  a  service  to 
fhe  generation  of  the  present  and  to  those  who  may 
succeed  us  in  generations  yet  to  come;  for  states  and 
people  are  great  only  as  they  look  unth  confidence  to  the 
future  and  with  inspiration  drawn  from  the  lives  and 
history  of  the  past. 

The  name  of  Douglass  Houghton  ynW  ever  remain 
inseparably  connected  wiih.  the  development  of  this  great 
region  of  upper  Michigan,  for  here  in  a  true  sense  he  was 
a  pathfinder  and  a  pioneer,  intelligently  blazing  the 
pathway  and  recording  accurate  observations  on  the 
physical  characteristics  of  the  country  for  the  guidance 
of  those  who  should  come  after  him.  Indeed,  there  is 
justification  for  the  beUef  that  he  was  a  potent  influence 
in  the  train  of  events  which  brought  this  great  northern 
country  within  the  territorial  limits  of  our  beloved 
Michigan. 

Douglass  Houghton  was  born  at  Troy,  New  York, 
September  21,  1809,  the  fourth  child  in  a  family  of  seven 
born  to  the  parents,  Jacob  Houghton  and  Mary  Douglass 
Houghton.  The  training  and  environment  of  Douglass 
Houghton  were  such  as  admirably  to  fit  him  for  the 
great  work  which  he  ultimately  accomplished.  The 
father,   Jacob   Houghton,   was   a  law>'er  of  more  than 

Address  at  the  dedication  of  the  Douglass  Houghton  monument  at  Eagle 
River,  October  3,  1914. 

138 


average  culture,  while  through  the  mother  he  inherited 
the  sturdy  blood  of  the  New  England  revolutionary 
period.  While  Rochester  was  still  a  village  on  the 
western  frontier  of  the  Empire  State,  Jacob  Houghton 
in  1812  immigrated  to  Fredonia,  to  become  the  willing 
partaker  of  the  hardships  and  privations  of  pioneer  life. 
Young  Houghton  thus  had  open  to  him  from  infancy 
the  advantages  of  a  cultured  home  where  good  books 
and  refining  influences  abounded,  while  courage  and  love 
of  adventure  were  ever  stimulated  by  intimate  contact 
with  a  life  in  which  the  need  of  such  elements  is  daily 
required. 

In  his  tender  years,  Douglass  Houghton  was  frail  in 
body  and  diminutive  in  size;  but  coupled  with  these 
characteristics,  as  not  infrequently  happens,  was  promise 
of  unusual  precocity  and  brilliancy  of  mind.  Advancing 
years  brought  him  bodily  vigor,  but  he  always  was  small 
in  stature. 

The  years  that  have  intervened  since  his  death, 
naturally  obscure  the  incidents  of  his  boyhood  career, 
but  from  the  past  there  still  come  the  stories  that  show 
him  to  have  been  a  lad  keenly  alive  to  all  of  the  wonders 
and  mysteries  that  surrounded  him  in  the  physical  world, 
and  that  marked  him  as  the  scientist  of  unusual  attain- 
ments which  he  ultimately  became.  He  was  a  chemist 
before  he  knew  the  chemical  elements;  a  botanist  while 
his  only  textbook  was  the  wealth  of  the  forests;  and  a 
geologist  with  the  rocks  and  cliffs  his  only  teacher.  Before 
he  had  arrived  at  his  sixteenth  year,  in  company  with  a 
neigh})oring  lad  he  had  perfected  a  mill  for  the  manu- 
facture of  a  coarse  quality  of  gunpowder.     It  was  here. 

139 


while  engaged  in  the  work  of  compounding  materials, 
that  he  was  severely  injured  by  an  explosion,  the  effect 
of  the  burns  which  he  received  being  such  as  to  place  his 
life  in  jeopardy  and  to  mark  him  with  permanent  facial 
disfigurement.  A  lad  so  eager  for  all  the  learning  which 
the  great  field  of  nature  opened  about  him,  was  not  long 
in  completing  the  courses  of  study  afforded  by  the  schools 
and  academies  that  were  close  at  hand.  His  strong  bent 
for  the  natural  sciences  caused  his  father  to  place  him  as 
a  student  in  the  Van  Renssalaer  school  in  the  city  of  Troy, 
at  that  time  one  of  the  leading  scientific  schools  of  the 
country.  From  this  institution  he  graduated  in  1828, 
and  when  not  twenty  years  of  age  he  had  already  been 
admitted  to  the  practice  of  medicine  by  the  medical 
society  of  Chautauqua  County. 

The  Detroit  of  1830,  needless  to  say,  was  far  different 
from  the  Detroit  of  today.  At  the  earher  period,  the 
closing  of  navigation  isolated  the  metropolis  from  the 
outside  world  and  for  a  period  of  four  or  five  months 
threw  the  inhabitants  upon  their  own  resources  for  the 
means  of  culture  and  entertainment.  Among  the  in- 
stitutions of  the  place  which  contributed  to  both  of  these 
purposes,  were  the  lecture  courses  which  amiually  were 
given  under  the  patronage  of  General  Cass,  Major  Biddle, 
Henry  Schoolcraft  and  others.  It  was  these  gentlemen 
who,  in  183G,  applied  to  Professor  Eaton  of  the  Van 
Renssalaer  school  to  recommend  a  gentleman  to  give  a 
course  of  public  lectures  on  the  subjects  of  chemistry, 
botany  and  geology  at  Detroit  during  the  ensuing  winter. 
Hon.  Lucius  Lyon,  later  the  Territorial  Delegate  of 
Michigan  at    Washington,    was    commissioned    by    his 

140 


Detroit  friends  to  call  at  the  Van  Renssalaer  institution 
and  personally  arrange  for  the  emploATnent  of  the  gentle- 
man to  be  selected  for  the  position.  Lucius  Lyon  was 
himself  a  yoimg  man,  being  about  thirtj'-  years  of  age  at 
the  time;  but  he  was  much  surprised  when  he  was 
presented  to  a  youth,  both  in  appearance  and  years  as 
the  candidate  thought  equal  to  the  instruction  of  men  of 
mature  culture  on  abstruse  scientific  subjects.  But  Lj^on 
was  soon  convinced  that  the  young  scientist  would  be 
equal  to  such  a  mission,  and  soon  concluded  the  arrange- 
ments that  brought  young  Houghton  to  Detroit,  from 
which  time  his  Ufe  was  to  be  intimately  identified  with 
the  development  of  the  Territory  and  subsequent  State. 
Time  will  not  suffice  to  say  more  of  the  course  of  lectures 
in  which  Douglass  Houghton  delighted  the  people  of 
Detroit,  other  than  that  they  formed  the  basis  of  an 
enduring  regard  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  people  of 
that  city.  That  Lucius  Lyon  and  Douglass  Houghton 
w^ere  thus  thrown  together  was  a  fortunate  incident  for 
Michigan,  as  ^^^ll  be  later  seen — for  it  was  the  inception 
of  a  bond  of  friendship  and  confidence  between  two  men 
who  had  it  in  their  power  to  do  much  for  the  aspiring 
commonwealth . 

Only  a  few  months  folloAving  the  advent  of  young 
Houghton  in  Detroit,  Henry  R.  Schoolcraft  then  on  the 
threshold  of  his  distinguished  career,  was  organizing  the 
expedition  which  he  later  conducted  for  the  exploration 
of  the  source  of  the  Mississippi  River.  In  his  search  for 
a  physician  and  trained  scientist  to  accompany  the  ex- 
pedition, his  choice  was  almost  confined  to  Douglass 
Houghton,  to  whom  he  proffered  the  position.     Houghton 

141 


gladly  accepted  the  position  so  fully  in  line  with  his 
talents  and  inclinations.  The  expedition  proceeded  by 
way  of  the  upper  Lakes,  and  thus  early  did  the  great 
upper  Peninsula  pass  under  the  eye  of  a  trained  scientific 
observer,  who  later  from  intimate  knowledge  was  able  to 
give  to  at  least  those  connected  with  the  official  life  of 
the  Territory  a  knowledge  of  the  great  northern  country, 
and  a  glimpse  in  prophesy  of  what  it  might  ultiniately 
become. 

Houghton  returned  to  Detroit  in  1831  to  take  up  the 
practice  of  the  medical  profession,  which  he  continued 
until  1836.  His  practice  is  said  to  have  been  the  most 
extensive  and  lucrative  enjoyed  by  any  physician  in 
Detroit.  The  people  of  Detroit,  who  had  theretofore 
admired  Houghton's  youthful  genius  and  ability,  now 
added  to  it  the  warmth  of  intimate  affection.  Through 
the  cholera  outbreak  in  1834  no  character  in  the  city  of 
Detroit  stands  out  with  more  courage,  loyalty  and  de- 
votion. Through  the  dreary  days  of  that  fatal  summer, 
Douglass  Houghton  was  one  of  a  noble  band  who  through 
their  professional  and  humane  ministrations  earned  the 
gratitude  of  the  people  of  that  community. 

The  summer  of  1835  is  eventful  in  the  history  of  Michi- 
gan. This  is  not  the  time  or  place  to  recount  the  in- 
cidents leading  up  to  and  growing  out  of  the  bloodless 
conflict  of  the  "Toledo  War,"  further  than  to  say  that  as 
compensation  for  the  enforced  relinquishment  of  the 
seven  mile  strip  upon  her  southern  border,  the  State's 
northern  boundary  was  enlarged  to  include  the  Upper 
Peninsula.  Historians  have  named  several  individuals 
as  being  entitled  to  the  honor  of  compensating  Michigan 

142 


territorially  for  the  loss  of  Toledo,  but  the  honor  un- 
questionably belongs  to  Lucius  Lyon,  who  had  been 
chosen  to  the  United  States  senate  in  anticipation  of 
IVIichigan's  early  admission  to  the  federal  union. 

During  the  winter  of  1835  and  '36,  Lucius  Lyon,  in 
company  vnih  John  Norvell  and  Isaac  Crary,  the  other 
two  members  of  the  Michigan  delegation,  were  in  Wash- 
ington anxious  to  assume  their  duties  w^hile  Congress 
delayed  the  State's  admission.  A  letter  from  Senator 
Lyon,  under  date  of  Feb.  18,  1836,  discloses  that  the 
senator  already  saw  the  inevitable  and  was  preparing  to 
obtain  such  compensation  as  could  be  acquired.  With 
facetious  resignation,  he  writes:  "The  corruption  and 
management  of  the  delegation  in  Congress  from  Ohio  and 
Indiana  is  about  to  deprive  Michigan  of  the  country 
claimed  by  the  former  States;  and  to  compensate  us  in 
some  measure,  the  committee  will  probably  give  us  a 
strip  of  country  along  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Superior, 
where  we  can  raise  our  own  Indians  in  all  time  to  come 
and  supply  ourselves  now  and  then  with  a  little  bear 
meat  for  delicacy." 

That  the  senator  had  knowledge  that  the  country  to 
be  acquired  had  far  more  value  than  as  a  hospitable 
region  for  bears  and  Indians,  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that 
three  days  later,  in  a  letter  to  Colonel  Andrew  Mack  of 
Detroit,  he  urged  the  desirability  of  the  acquisition  of 
the  upper  country  upon  other  considerations.  "My  own 
opinion  is"  said  he,  "that  within  twenty  years  the  ad- 
dition here  proposed  will  be  valued  by  Michigan  at 
more  than  forty  millions  of  dollars,  and  that  even  after 
ten  years  the  State  would  not  think  of  selling  it  for  that 

143 


sum.  When  compelled  by  the  strong  arm  of  power 
most  unjustly  to  give  up  and  yield  to  the  gigantic  State 
of  Ohio  a  part  of  our  territory  on  the  south,  I  can  con- 
ceive no  good  reason  why,  under  the  circumstances,  we 
should  not  receive  all  Congress  are  willing  to  give  us 
elsewhere.  If  we  lose  on  the  south  and  gain  nothing  on 
the  north  or  west,  we  shall  be  poor  indeed." 

Years  later  in  a  written  communication,  Senator  Lyon 
says:  "Having,  when  in  Congress,  when  the  limits  of 
Michigan  were  about  to  be  unjustly  curtailed  on  the 
south,  first  proposed  and  taken  an  active  part  in  pro- 
curing the  extension  of  our  boundary  to  the  northwest 
so  as  to  embrace  a  large  tract  of  country  on  the  south 
side  of  Lake  Superior,  a  principal  object  of  my  inquiry 
was  of  course  to  ascertain  the  character  and  value  of  the 
country  thus  added  to  our  State.  The  result  of  these 
inquiries  were,  I  am  able  to  say,  more  favorable  than  I 
had  ever  anticipated."  The  remaining  portion  of  the 
letter  might  even  now  be  used  in  the  prospectus  of  the 
development  bureau  of  the  so-called  clover  lands.  Said 
he:  "That  portion  of  our  State  lying  beyond  the  Straits 
of  Michilimackinac,  and  bounded  on  the  north  by  Lake 
Superior,  contains  probably  about  25,000  square  miles, 
or  about  one-third  more  land  than  is  contained  in  the 
States  of  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont  together,  and  it 
is  capable  of  sustaining  and  will  sustain  at  some  future 
time  as  great  if  not  greater  population  to  the  square  mile 
than  either  of  those  States.  Its  soil  is  good;  better  than 
that  of  New  England  States  generally,  and  the  country 
is  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  wheat,  rye,  barley, 
oats,  potatoes,  wool  and  flax,  while  the  fisheries  in  the 

144 


lakes  on  either  side  of  it,  and  the  rich  mines  of  copper 
and  iron  ore  will  afford  sources  of  profitable  emploj'ment 
to  thousands  of  persons  who  will  need  those  products, 
so  that  the  farmer  there  will  always  have  the  advantage 
of  a  good  market  at  his  own  door.  The  land  is  well 
wooded  with  sugar  tree,  beech,  ash,  lynn  and  black 
cherry,  and  in  some  places  forests  of  pine.  The  country 
is  rolling  and  well  watered.  It  contains  but  little  swamp, 
and  the  proportion  of  waste  land  in  it  is  probably  less 
than  in  the  Lower  Peninsula,  though  the  proportion  of 
waste  land  here  is  much  less  than  is  generally  supposed. 
The  climate  of  the  country  is  said  to  be  quite  as  mild  as 
that  of  the  States  of  Maine,  New  Hampshire,  Vermont 
and  the  northern  part  of  New  York,  the  severity  of  the 
winter  season  being  moderated  by  the  waters  of  Lakes 
Superior  and  Michigan,  which  are  so  deep  that  they 
never  freeze  except  at  and  near  the  shore." 

That  the  greater  part,  if  not  all  of  this  information, 
still  so  accurate  in  its  general  character,  was  received 
from  Douglass  Houghton  there  is  no  doubt,  for  no  in- 
dividual possessed  a  larger  and  more  discriminating 
knowledge  of  the  Territory,  and  bore  to  Lucius  Lyon  a 
more  intimate  friendship  than  Douglass  Houghton. 

Governor  Stevens  T.  Mason  was  even  a  year  the 
junior  of  Douglass  Houghton,  and  his  warm  personal 
friend  and  coadjutor.  Governor  Mason,  the  enthusiastic 
friend  of  every  measure  which  the  State  undertook  for 
the  promotion  of  education  and  institutions  of  learning, 
lost  no  time  in  tendering  the  position  of  State  geologist 
to  Doctor  Houghton  when  legislation  had  created  that 
department,  of  State  activity.     A  somewhat  superficial 

145 


survey  of  the  State  was  made  under  a  small  appropriation 
of  1837,  while  a  more  comprehensive  plan  was  con- 
templated bj'  the  action  of  the  legislature  of  1838. 
Scientists  have  generally  regarded  the  plan  perfected  by 
Doctor  Houghton  for  the  geological  survey  of  Michigan 
as  one  that  might  well  be  considered  as  a  model.  The 
plan  comprehended  four  departments,  namely:  Geology 
and  mineralogy  proper;  zoology,  botany  and  topography; 
each  having  its  official  head  and  assistants,  all  to  work 
under  the  general  supervision  of  the  State  geologist.  It 
was  the  plan  of  Doctor  Houghton  to  have  the  work  of 
all  departments  prosecuted  'simultaneously.  Those  in 
charge  of  the  topography  department  were  to  furnish 
skeleton  plats,  into  which  the  other  departments  were  to 
work  the  peculiar  features  coming  under  their  observation^ 
with  more  than  ordinary  accuracy. 

The  State  was  not  able  to  benefit  to  the  full  extent  of 
the  creative  genius  of  the  State  geologist  because  of  the 
unfortunate  financial  calamities  which  came  with  ex- 
ceptional severity  upon  the  youthful  commonwealth, 
but  the  failure  of  the  State  in  no  manner  detracts  from 
the  genius  of  the  scientist  who  pointed  the  way. 

The  season  of  1840  was  spent  by  Doctor  Houghton 
and  his  assistants  in  exploration  and  geographical  re- 
searches on  the  south  coast  of  Lake  Superior,  then  an 
unbroken  wilderness,  inhabited  only  by  bears  and  Indians 
to  which  Senator  Lyon  had  called  attention.  The 
report  made  by  Doctor  Houghton  to  the  legislature  the 
following  February  disclosed  that  the  great  sources  of 
mineral  and  other  wealth  had  not  escaped  his  observation, 

146 


although  their  existence  was  stated  •with  commendable 
caution  and  modesty  of  detail. 

Doctor  Houghton's  report,  published  in  1841,  was  the 
last  one  made  by  him  to  the  legislature  of  the  State. 
It  treats  of  the  geolog\'  of  the  Upper  Peninsula,  and 
Professor  Winchell,  so  long  eminent  in  the  field  of  science, 
speaks  of  it  as  a  masterly  discussion  of  the  mineral  veins 
of  the  trap,  conglomerate  and  other  rocks,  and  further 
says,  "It  furnished  the  world  with  the  first  definite  in- 
formation relative  to  the  occurrence  of  native  copper  in 
place  on  Lake  Superior,  and  the  mining  interest  now 
rapidly  growing  up  in  that  region  has  been  to  a  great 
extent  created  by  the  attention  directed  to  it  by  the 
report  of  my  late  predecessor." 

Subsequent  to  this  time  and  during  the  life  of  Doctor 
Houghton,  the  meagre  resources  of  the  State  made 
further  prosecution  of  the  geographical  survey  inexpedient, 
but  the  State's  poverty  did  not  stop  his  activities  in 
scientific  discovery.  Even  before  this  time,  the  keen 
observation  of  Doctor  Houghton  had  discovered  the 
indications  of  possible  saline  deposits  within  the  State, 
and  by  subsequent  legislative  authorization  he  con- 
ducted borings  in  the  vicinity  of  Grand  Rapids  and  on 
the  Tittabawassee,  near  the  present  city  of  Midland,  '^ 
later  to  become  one  of  the  points  of  extensive  salt  pro- 
duction. Immediate  success  did  not  crown  his  efforts. 
The  State's  resources  were  limited;  supplies  and  equip- 
ment required  transportation  through  miles  of  trackless 
forest,  but  he  pointed  the  way,  and  as  one  writer  has 
said,  "demonstrated  that  the  work  was  one  of  no  slight 


magnitude." 


147 


^  In  1842  Doctor  Houghton  was  elected  to  the  position 
of  mayor  of  the  city  of  Detroit,  and  at  about  the  same 
time  served  as  president  of  one  of  the  leading  financial 
institutions  of  that  city.  He  had  been  made  professor 
of  chemistry,  mineralogy  and  geologj^  in  the  newly 
created  university  of  the  State,  and  on  occasions  de- 
livered lectures  on  these  subjects,  while  he  perfected 
plans  for  still  further  prosecution  of  geological  researches 
in  the  mineral  regions  of  Michigan. 

It  did  not  require  his  tragic  death  to  impress  the 
people  of  Michigan  with  appreciation  of  his  individual 
worth,  and  the  value  of  his  service  to  his  State.  On  the 
19th  of  March,  1845,  the  county  of  Houghton  was  created 
by  act  of  the  Michigan  Legislature  and  named  in  his 
honor.  Counties  in  liberal  number  have  been  named 
for  men  eminent  in  the  political  life  of  the  State,  but 
Douglass  Houghton  shares  with  Hemy  Schoolcraft  the 
unique  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  two  men  thus 
honored  from  the  field  of  applied  science. 

Douglass  Houghton  at  the  time  of  his  death  had  barely 
completed  the  thirty-sixth  xeai  of  his  life,  but  years  of 
exceeding  value  to  his  State.  Today  his  name  is  per- 
petuated in  the  name  of  one  of  the  State's  greatest 
counties;  in  one  of  its  townships;  in  one  of  its  most  charm- 
ing cities,  and  in  the  largest  inland  lake  within  its  borders. 
His  portrait  adorns  the  walls  of  the  legislative  chamber 
of  the  State  capitol,  and  a  cenotaph  tablet  to  his  memory 
can  be  read  upon  the  campus  of  the  great  university  at 
Ann  Arbor.  It  is  to  small  purpose  that  we  do  further 
honor  to  his  memory  unless  we  learn  and  give  vitality 
to  the  principles  that  were  the  active  elements  of  his 

148 


life  and  achievements.  Could  we  see  Douglass  Houghton 
here  today,  we  would  see  a  man  small  in  stature,  of  less 
than  five  feet  six  inches  in  height;  a  man  of  modest  and 
afi'able  demeanor;  a  man  who  found  pleasure  in  poetry 
and  in  the  music  of  the  flute,  upon  which  he  was  an 
accomplished  plaj^er;  a  man  who  combined  with  these 
lighter  accomplishments  the  sterner  qualities  of  inde- 
fatigable industry,  thirst  for  knowledge,  and  moral  and 
physical  courage.  These  qualities  were  the  basis  of  his 
achievements,  which  in  themselves  emphasize  that  into 
the  keeping  of  most  men  has  been  given  the  elements 
that  make  for  lives  individually  successful  and  helpful 
to  humanity. 

The  demand  of  the  example  of  the  life  of  Douglass 
Houghton  is  not  to  be  satisfied  by  the  answer  from  any 
man,  that  he  wrought  in  a  time  of  exceptional  opportunity 
and  promise.  It  is  true  that  Michigan  no  longer  has  a 
frontier;  no  longer  is  it  necessary  for  the  pioneer  to  clear 
the  way  through  fen  and  forests;  but  Michigan  from  a 
thousand  fields  of  human  effort  beckons  as  never  before 
to  the  men  and  women  who  have  the  wisdom  to  plan, 
the  courage  to  dare,  and  the  industry  to  do.  There  is 
inspiration  in  the  life  of  a  Houghton  as  there  is  in  the 
life  of  a  Lincoln,  for  both  come  as  messages  of  cheer  and 
assurance  that  the  common  abilities  and  the  common 
virtues  of  life  make  alike  for  the  success  of  individuals 
and  the  glory  of  states. 


149 


Private  Ownership  and  Governmental  Con- 
trol OF  Public  Utilities 

Ladies  and  Gentlemen:  Dean  Cooley,  with  a  sincere 
purpose  of  compliment,  has  told  you  that  I  was  once  the 
candidate  of  the  Democratic  party  for  Governor.  That 
you  may  draw  no  false  conclusions,  perhaps  I  should  tell 
you  the  whole  truth, — that  I  have  been  a  candidate 
twice;  that  running  for  Governor  has  become  somewhat 
of  a  habit  with  me.  Once  upon  a  time  in  my  first  cam- 
paign, at  the  conclusion  of  an  address,  a  man  came  up 
to  the  platform  and  put  up  a  hand  that  indicated  its 
possessor  was  familiar  with  physical  toil,  and  said,  "Mr. 
Hemans,  I  want  to  shake  your  hand,  and  tell  you  that  you 
will  at  least  get  every  Democratic  vote  in  my  township. 
I  am  the  only  gol  darned  Democrat  there."  So  you  see, 
running  for  Governor  on  the  Democratic  ticket  in  Michi- 
gan may  indicate  no  quality  greater  than  courage  in  the 
candidate. 

It  is  for  me  an  exceptional  pleasure  to  view  so  large 
a  body  of  young  men  and  women  on  the  threshold  of 
careers  in  engineering,  for  while  most  of  us  no  doubt  are 
looking  forward  to  the  financial  and  material  rewards 
that  are  to  come  from  professional  effort,  there  is  another 
side  which  to  my  mind  is  of  equal  if  not  greater  import 
both  to  you  as  individuals  and  to  society  as  a  whole. 

It  is  a  matter  of  frequent  comment  that  this  is  an  age 
of  wonderful  development,  but  in  no  field  is  it  more  true 
than  in  the  field  of  the  so-called  public  utility.  Our 
great  railway  systems,  illuminating  gas  from  destructive 

Address  to  the  Freshman  engineering  class  at  the  University  of  Michigan 
in  1914. 

150 


distillation,  water  under  pressure,  light  and  heat  and 
power  from  electric  energj^,  the  telephone  and  the  tele- 
graph, are  the  product  of  the  inventive  genius  of  little 
more  than  a  life  time.  The  pubhc  utility  has  almost 
transformed  our  civilization,  and  its  management  has 
become  one  of  the  greatest  of  our  social  and  economic 
problems. 

With  the  introduction  of  the  first  utilities,  nothing 
was  more  natural  than  that  they  should  have  been  left 
to  the  individual  creation  and  control  of  the  interests 
which  promoted  them;  but  society  very  soon  learned, 
that  the  business  of  the  utility,  whether  it  was  in  the 
furnishing  of  transportation,  in  the  transmission  of  in- 
telligence, or  in  the  furnishing  of  water,  light,  heat  and 
power,  had  characteristics  which  made  it  fundamentally 
different  from  the  ordinary  business  which  individuals 
had  prosecuted  for  all  the  centuries  of  the  past.  In  the 
business  of  the  ordinary  merchant  there  is  an  appeal  to  a 
variety  of  tastes  and  the  financial  ability  of  the  purchaser, 
which  invites  competition.  This  is  a  characteristic 
wholly  lacking  in  the  product  of  the  public  utility.  The 
verj'  nature  of  the  service  which  public  utilities  render, 
removes  them  from  the  field  where  efficiencj'  and  economic 
considerations  are  promoted  by  competition.  In  other 
words,  public  utilities  are  natural  monopolies.  Because 
they  are  monopolies  serving  the  public,  they  cannot 
safely  be  intrusted  to  private  control.  We  have,  then, 
the  two  alternatives:  governmental  or  political  owner- 
ship and  control,  or  private  ownership  and  governmental 
supervision  and  control.  The  issue  between  these  two 
systems  is  of  tremendous  importance. 

151 


The  Michigan  Railroad  Commission,  as  you  know, 
passes  upon  the  stock  and  bond  issues  of  all  public  ser- 
vice corporations.  During  the  past  four  years,  for  the 
public  utilities  of  the  State,  and  for  the  railways  that 
cross  its  borders,  it  has  authorized  stocks  and  bonds  to 
the  amount  of  between  six  and  seven  hundred  millions. 
This  enormous  sum  is  needed  simply  to  keep  pace  with 
the  growth  of  our  commonwealth.  Shall  the  institutions 
which  expend  these  vast  sums  become  a  part  of  our 
political  machinery,  or  shall  they  be  left  as  a  part  of  the 
industrial  activities  of  society,  with  unrestricted  power 
in  government  to  investigate,  regulate  and  control? 

It  seems  to  me  that  before  governmental  ownership 
and  control  can  be  effectively  urged,  it  must  be  demon- 
strated that  political  activities  are  superior  to  those 
found  in  the  business  world.  They  should  show  that 
our  cities  are  run  more  efficiently  and  economically  than 
our  vast  industrial  institutions,  which  is  notoriously  not 
the  case.  We  all  know  that  the  power  successfully  to 
manage  and  administer,  is  superior  to  the  power  to 
create.  There  are  a  thousand  men  who  have  the  power 
to  conceive  an  enterprise  where  there  is  one  that  has  the 
ability  to  conduct  it  to  successful  issue.  We  cannot 
have  in  the  lines  of  public  utility  the  impetus  of  in- 
dividual desire  to  achieve,  if  as  soon  as  the  utility  is 
created  it  is  to  become  a  function  of  government;  and 
we  have  not  yet  come  to  the  end  of  our  public  utility 
creations.  Our  government  was  founded  on  the  idea 
of  developing  the  individuality  of  each  citizen,  providing 
the  greatest  scope  for  the  exercise  of  his  abilities  and 
powers.     All   of   these    considerations   point   to   private 

152 


owTiership  and  governmental  control  as  the  solution  of 
the  great  problem  of  the  public  utility.  It  gives  free 
exercise  to  the  individual  initiative.  It  restricts  op- 
portunity only  by  the  ability  of  him  who  strives.  It 
gives  the  public  the  benefit  of  the  superior  thrift,  energy 
and  capacity  of  individual  business,  while  it  preserves 
to  the  public  the  power  to  regulate,  restrict  and  supervise, 
necessary  to  protect  the  public  interest. 

But  efficient  supervision  and  control  necessitates 
thorough  and  exact  knowledge,  and  it  is  here  that  society 
looks  to  the  men  of  the  profession  upon  which  you  have 
entered.  That  the  regulating  body  may  properly  pre- 
scribe the  rate  of  return  and  the  quality  of  service,  it 
must  have  extensive  knowledge,  as  to  original  cost,  as 
to  depreciation,  and  as  to  current  maintenance,  as  well 
as  to  many  other  elements  that  enter  into  a  proper  ad- 
justment of  the  rate.  Many  of  these  elements  are  still 
unknown,  with  anything  like  definiteness,  even  by  the 
men  who  promote  the  enterprise. 

So  large  a  body  of  young  men  and  women  as  I  see  here 
before  me  must  be  an  important  factor  in  the  solving  of 
the  problems  presented,  and  it  is  here  that  your  greatest 
work  is  to  be  accomplished.  You  will  go  forth  from  here 
to  achieve  the  material  and  financial  successes  that  are 
always  an  important  consideration,  but  the  greater 
success  will  be  in  the  service  which  you  will  contribute 
to  society  and  to  government  through  high,  lofty  and 
disinterested  effort  in  the  solution  of  one  of  the  greatest 
problems  of  this  State  and  Nation.  With  these  things 
in  mind,  I  cannot  do  otherwise  than  congratulate  you 
upon  the  auspicious  field  that  lies  before  you. 

153 


A  Monument  of  Progress 

Mr.  President  and  Fellow  Citizens:  The  occasion  that 
has  brought  together  this  body  of  our  people  is  one 
worthy  of  the  interest  and  enthusiasm  we  are  giving  to 
its  celebration.  It  is  the  vaunting  of  no  vain-glorious 
pride  to  say  of  the  county  of  Ingham  that  it  has  become 
great  in  all  the  essential  elements  of  modern  progress, 
and  that  it  represents  in  its  citizenship  the  ingrained 
traits  of  the  best  traditions  of  this  Republic. 

In  the  dedication  of  a  structure  such  as  this,  in  reality 
a  temple  of  justice,  a  building  set  apart  to  civic  virtue, 
surely  we  should  find  in  reverent  thankful  hearts  the 
spirit  that  has  brought  us  hither  to  become  participators 
in  an  event  calculated  to  stimulate  the  elements  that 
have  made  for  past  successes,  and  that  in  themselves  are 
our  best  guaranty  of  the  perpetuity  of  free  institutions. 

Two  years  ago,  on  the  5th  day  of  this  present  month, 
we  met,  and  with  imposing  ceremonies,  laid  the  corner 
stone  of  this  building.  It  was  a  day  prophetic  of  the 
beautiful  structure  we  now  behold,  for  even  then  we  knew 
it  was  to  be  a  monument  marking  the  progress  of  our 
people,  a  progress  that  has  been  unfolding  and  expanding 
since  the  day  when  the  first  hardy  pioneer  reared  his 
rude  cabin  within  our  borders.  There  is  pleasure  and 
satisfaction  in  the  completion  of  a  good  work,  but  thrice 
pleasurable  and  satisfying  is  the  completion  of  a  work 
that  combines  utility  with  the  elements  of  symmetry.and 
architectural  beauty,  and  which  in  its  completeness 
bespeaks  a  lesson  and  a  meaning.     Within  these  walls 

Address  at  the  dedication  of  the  Ingham  County  court  house  at  Mason, 
1904. 

154 


the  skill  of  the  artisan  may  be  visible  for  ages  to  come; 
but  if  the  children  of  the  future  shall  see  in  it  nothing 
more  than  spacious  halls  and  an  imposing  exterior,  then 
shall  more  than  half  its  cost  have  been  wasted.  This 
edifice  is  more  than  rooms  and  apartments  where  the 
treasured  records  of  the  people  find  safe  deposit  and 
public  servants  do  official  bidding.  It  is  more  than 
trusses  of  iron,  beams  of  wood,  and  carven  stone,  it  is  a 
monument  to  the  genius  of  our  people,  representative  of 
their  past,  their  progress,  their  patriotism  and  their 
intelligence. 

It  is  told  of  President  Harper  of  Chicago  Universit}^ 
that  once,  as  he  contemplated  the  magnificent  buildings 
of  that  institution,  perfect  in  appointments  and  pleasing 
in  design,  he  said,  "All  that  Chicago  University  now 
needs  is  a  past."  To  the  citizen  of  Ingham  County  who 
is  filled  with  love  for  its  people  and  its  fertile  soil,  this 
structure  vaW  lack  no  such  endearing  association,  for, 
though  new  in  point  of  time,  it  is  none  the  less  indicative 
of  all  that  has  gone  before.  The  county  of  Ingham  has 
been  a  partaker  in  no  small  degree  in  the  progress  and 
development  which  form  the  chief  marvel  of  the  time. 
More  wonderful  than  our  ultimate  achievement  is  the 
fact  that  it  is  the  achievement  of  scarce  a  life  time, 
equalling  if  not  surpassing  in  its  total  accomplishment 
the  slow  growth  of  former  centuries. 

It  was  not  until  the  fall  and  winter  of  1825  and  1826 
that  John  Mullett,  Henry  Parke  and  others  tore  their 
way  through  tangled  swamps  and  primal  woods  to  set 
the  governmental  limits  of  our  townships;  a  section 
which  was  then  a  remote  quarter  in  the  trackless  wild 

155 


within  the  then  county  of  Wayne.  By  an  act  of  the 
Legislative  Council  of  Michigan  Territory  bearing  date 
the  29th  of  October,  1829,  the  sixteen  townships  of  the 
county  were  given  territorial  entity  as  the  county  of 
Ingham. 

If  an  illustrious  name  has  power  to  stimulate  those 
who  live  under  it  to  emulate  the  virtues  of  its  giver,  then 
it  was  rare  fortune  which  gave  us  the  name  we  honor  in 
perpetuating.  Samuel  D.  Ingham,  of  Bucks  County, 
Pennsylvania,  had  reached  his  fiftieth  year  when  his 
name  was  given  to  our  county.  He  was  a  man  of  broad 
culture  self-acquired,  the  heir  to  a  name  already  honored 
in  his  State.  On  his  own  merit  he  had  already  won 
distinction  in  his  native  State  and  as  a  member  for  many 
terms  in  the  federal  Congress  his  commanding  abilities 
had  received  national  recognition;  in  the  year  of  the 
county's  formation  he  had  entered  to  serve  with  dis- 
tinction in  the  Cabinet  of  Andrew  Jackson  as  Secretary 
of  the  Treasury.  To  the  end  of  a  long  life,  which  did 
not  close  until  the  year  1860,  he  exemplified  to  a  high 
degree  those  traits  of  character  which  have  ever  made 
for  the  honor  of  individuals  and  the  greatness  of  states. 

A  few  days  after  the  county's  creation,  and  on  the  4th 
day  of  November,  1829,  it  and  the  newly  formed  county 
of  Jackson  were  made  to  form  a  part  of  the  township  of 
Dexter,  and  attached  to  the  county  of  Washtenaw  for 
judicial  purposes.  Later  its  territory  was  attached  to 
the  county  of  Jackson,  and  not  until  June  1838  did  it 
become  an  organized  county,  with  the  rights  and  privileges 
of  the  then  other  twenty-eight  counties  of  the  State. 
At  this  time  less  than  nine  hundred  souls  had  found  homes 

156 


within  our  borders,  but  the  hardy  pioneers  had  left  behind 
the  blazed  trail  over  which  increasing  numbers  were  soon 
to  follow.  With  alacrity  the  widely  scattered  settlers 
organized  the  congressional  townships  to  participate  as 
such  in  the  new  political  rights  thus  bestowed.  Although 
but' seven  townships  had  been  organized  at  the  election 
of  1838,  eleven  were  in  existence  by  March  1839.  Of 
the  eleven,  Alaiedon  continued  until  some  years  later  to 
comprise  the  present  four  northwest  townships,  while 
Phelpstown  comprised  the  present  townships  of  Williams- 
ton,  and  Locke,  and  Brutus,  embracing  the  present 
townships  of  Wheatfield  and  Leroy.  Although  at  the 
date  of  the  organization  of  the  county,  Mason  had  had 
an  existence  of  but  three  months  as  a  platted  town,  still 
its  few  inhabitants,  alive  to  the  injunction  of  the  Ordi- 
nance of  1787,  that  "the  means  of  education  should 
forever  be  encouraged,"  had  made  the  erection  of  a 
schoolhouse  their  first  duty  after  providing  shelter  for 
themselves.  It  was  to  this  schoolhouse,  through  weary* 
miles  of  trackless  forest,  astride  his  faithful  steed,  with 
saddle  bags  filled  with  the  legal  lore  his  head  did  not 
contain,  that  on  the  12th  day  of  November,  1839,  came 
the  Hon.  WiUiam  A.  Fletcher,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  the  State,  and  then  and  there  organized 
the  judiciary  of  Ingham;  a  task  in  which  he  was  assisted 
by  Amos  E.  Steel  of  Onondaga,  father  of  the  present 
Sheriff  of  the  county,  and  William  Child  as  Associate 
Judges,  while  Peter  Lowe,  still  remembered  by  the  most 
of  us,  officiated  as  clerk. 

The  bar  of  Ingham  County  may  well  honor  itself  by 
honoring  the  name  of  William  A.  Fletcher.     He  brought 

157 


to  the  trials  and  hardships  of  a  frontier  life  the  culture 
and  training  of  an  able  jurist.  At  one  time  his  circuit 
comprised  the  whole  of  Michigan  outside  of  the  then 
limits  of  the  county  of  Wayne.  He  rendered  signal 
service  to  the  Territory  and  the  State  as  Chief  Justice 
and  Attorney  General,  and  lived  a  blameless  life,  a  fit 
example  to  every  man  who  would  prosecute  his  high 
calling  in  the  court  he  organized. 

When  we  recall  that  the  pioneer  schoolhouse  still 
stands  and  that  of  those  who  then  lived  within  the  county 
limits  and  were  then  of  sufficient  age  to  know  something 
of  the  interest  the  event  occasioned  some  have  been 
spared  to  join  in  the  pleasures  of  this  day,  we  may  justly 
feel  that  the  event  of  1839  was  essentially  modern.  Yet 
from  that  time  some  years  were  destined  to  elapse  before 
the  township  of  Lansing  was  even  organized  or  the 
Indian  disturbed  in  his  possession  at  the  junction  of  the 
Cedar  and  the  Grand. 

Although  the  county  seat  had  in  the  begimiing  been 
located  and  established  at  a  blazed  tree  at  the  quarter- 
post  between  sections  one  and  twelve  in  what  is  now  the 
township  of  Vevay  some  three  miles  east  of  this  city, 
the  business  of  the  county  had  always  been  transacted 
at  Mason,  because  its  buildings  were  those  nearest  to  the 
established  seat  of  justice.  To  this  place  it  was 
eventually  removed,  by  legislative  enactment,  on  the 
sixth  day  of  March  in  the  year  1840.  The  first  location 
was  upon  lands  entered  by  Charles  Thayer  of  Washtenaw, 
who  at  once  upon  the  establishment  of  the  seat  of  justice 
financed  the  future  prospects  of  his  holding  by  erecting 
a  ^\^ndowless  log  structure  and  creating  on  paper  the 

158 


ephemeral  City  of  Ingham,  which  showed  school  sites, 
public  parks  and  broad  avenues;  while  it  was  not  destined 
to  become  the  actual  county  seat,  yet  if  we  are  to  believe 
the  recitals  in  early  conveyances  it  was  not  a  losing 
venture,  for  several  undivided  interests  Avere  sold  in 
Chicago  and  other  places  for  considerations  aggregating 
some  seventy-five  thousand  dollars.  Surely  the  lamb 
and  the  promoter  were  abroad  in  the  land  back  in  the 
days  when  the  honest  pioneer  found  spiritual  consolation 
within  the  leafy  aisles  of  God's  first  temples. 

At  the  first  general  election,  260  voters  exercised  their 
franchise,  and  the  county  could  then  boast  a  full  $700,000 
of  assessable  values.  A  county  so  pretentious  could  not 
be  expected  long  to  be  satisfied  with  the  cramped  ac- 
commodations of  an  18  by  24  schoolhouse,  especialty  when 
it  was  required  to  do  duty  as  a  meeting-place  for  the 
board  of  supervisors,  local  meeting-house  on  Sundays, 
and  general  gathering  place  for  all  other  local  as  well  as 
county  events.  The  records  disclose  that  in  the  year 
1840  the  County  Clerk  and  Register  of  Deeds  were 
housed  at  an  outlay  of  $325,  and  that  at  the  October 
session  of  1842  by  resolution  duly  adopted,  each  super- 
visor was  made  a  committee  to  sound  his  constituency 
on  the  proposition  of  erecting  a  new  county  building. 
The  agitation  bore  fruit  the  following  year  in  the  erection 
of  the  first  county  Imilding,  the  l)uilding  committee  being 
authorized  to  contract  for  a  ])uikling  that  should  be 
twenty-eight  l)y  thirty-four  feet,  with  eighteen  foot 
posts,  and  that  should  not  cost  to  exceed  the  sum  of 
$800,  with  the  proviso  that  if  so  large  a  building  could 
not  be  obtained  for  the  sum  stated,  that  they  advertise 

159 


for  bids  for  as  large  a  building  as  could  be  built  for  the 
money.  The  committee  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet 
the  requirements  of  the  Board  and  in  due  season  it  stood 
completed,  south  and  across  the  street  from  this  edifice. 
Six  hundred  dollars  of  the  contract  price  was  paid  in 
State  bonds  and  two  hundred  dollars  in  the  form  of  a 
conveyance  of  some  village  lots  that  had  theretofore 
come  into  the  possession  of  the  county. 

It  was  an  imposing  structure,  surrounded  by  the  halo 
of  a  yellow  fence,  to  which  James  Turner,  Hiram  H. 
Smith  and  John  Coatsworth  did  not  put  the  finishing 
touches  until  the  board  of  supervisors  had  exhausted 
upon  it  much  serious  discussion  and  earnest  effort. 
When  completed,  the  building  was  accepted  by  the  narrow 
margin  of  8  to  7.  Whether  the  Board  split  on  the  color 
of  the  fence,  or  on  the  question  of  columns  for  the  front 
of  the  building  as  proposed  by  Supervisor  Skadan,  is  a 
question  that  may  never  be  settled.  For  twelve  years 
this  building  served  the  needs  of  the  county  for  the 
purposes  for  which  it  had  been  constructed. 

Not  until  1848  had  the  county  found  need  of  that 
adjunct  of  civilization  known  as  a  county  jail.  In  this 
year  the  first  one  was  constructed.  Whether  there  was 
any  connection  between  this  fact  and  the  location  of  the 
State  capital  within  the  county  the  year  previous,  is 
perhaps  a  question  too  delicate  to  be  discussed. 

It  was  at  the  April  election  of  1856  that  the  voters  of 
Ingham  County  voted  the  appropriation  for  the  building 
of  what  is  familiarly  known  to  us  all  as  "The  Old  Court 
House,"  endeared  to  most  of  the  members  of  the  Ingham 
bar  by  many  a  tender  memory  and  happy  association. 

160 


It  was  in  the  old  frame  court  house  that  John  W.  Long- 
year,  Orlando  M.  Barnes  and  others  began  their  careers 
of  honor  and  distinction.  While  the  date  of  its  erection 
is  comparatively  recent,  still  in  that  day  we  could  claim 
no  more  than  fifteen  thousand  of  population  and  less 
than  three  millions  in  assessed  valuation,  and  of  the 
fimds  required  for  the  building  of  this  twelve  thousand 
dollar  structure  the  borrowed  portion  was  obtainable 
only  in  New  York,  where  a  three-thousand-dollar  ten  per 
cent  bond  was  of  necessity  exchanged  for  twenty-eight 
hundred  dollars  in  cash.  After  the  negotiation  of  the 
loan  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  as  though  there  might 
still  be  some  question  as  to  the  risk  of  the  loaner,  passed 
a  resolution  to  the  effect  that  the  couiity  would  pay  both 
principal  and  interest  when  due. 

The  Old  Building  saw  the  making  of  Ingham  County. 
For  forty-two  years  it  was  the  center  to  which  our  people 
came  in  their  civic  relations;  here  people  from  the  more 
distant  townships  met,  matured  and  kept  alive  those 
warm  friendships  that  were  a  marked  characteristic  of 
the  older  days;  within  it  young  men  came  to  the  bar,  and 
by  patient  judges  were  enabled  to  acquire  the  experience 
and  develop  abilities,  which  in  some  instances  have 
given  to  Ingham  County  names  high  in  the  service  of 
the  State  and  nation.  Time  considered,  the  Old  Court 
House  stood  to  witness  the  most  far-reaching  social  and 
industrial  changes  that  have  taken  place  in  the  history 
of  the  world.  It  witnessed  the  inception  and  growth 
within  county  limits  of  great  State  institutions  bestowing 
the  blessings  of  a  liberal  and  Christian  civilization  upon 
the  unfortunate.     It  saw  the   great  State   Agricultural 

161 


College,  and  schools  less  pretentious,  come  into  existence 
and  under  a  wise  State  policy  enabled  to  extend  their 
hitluence  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.  Its  brief 
life  went  back  to  the  days  when  Lansing,  the  capital  of 
the  State,  was  httle  more  than  a  rude  clearing,  its  popula- 
tion not  above  the  limits  of  a  country  village  reached 
only  by  the  stage-coach  lines  that  crossed  its  bounds 
from  the  south  and  east.  It  has  lived  to  see  it  a  beautiful 
city  filled  with  every  requirement  made  necessary  by 
modern  life,  its  thousands  of  population  comfortably 
housed  and  sustained  by  the  multiplicity  of  its  industries, 
and  an  honor  to  the  State  whose  capital  it  has  proven 
worthy  to  be.  The  old  building  hved  to  be  the  silent 
witness  of  the  growth  and  development  of  thriving  cities 
and  villages  within  the  county  limits.  It  saw  the  forests 
melt  before  the  settler's  axe,  to  be  replaced  in  season  by 
blossoming  orchards  and  fields  of  golden  grain,  the 
landscape  resplendent  with  its  mantle  of  emerald,  studded 
with  flocks  and  herds  that  rejoice  the  heart  of  the  hus- 
bandman. The  Old  Court  House  saw  the  cabin  of  the 
pioneer  give  waj'  to  the  modern  home  whose  owner 
owned  the  soil  upon  which  he  bestowed  his  effort,  the 
fullest  realization  of  free  government.  The  county's 
valuation  of  $2,932,857  in  1857  is  now  exceeded  by  the 
amount  of  a  round  half  million  in  the  second  ward  of  the 
city  of  Lansing  alone,  while  the  county  as  a  whole  shows 
assessable  values  close  to  twenty-six  millions  and  a  total 
population  of  43,607  as  contrasted  with  the  15,000  of  the 
earlier  date. 

As  the  children  of  Israel  under  Joshua  threw  up  a  rude 
monument  of  unhewn  stones  beside  the  river  Jordan  as  a 

162 


memorial  of  Divine  favor,  so  this  building  may  be  in  some 
measure  our  monument  and  memorial  to  the  blessings 
of  our  own  retreating  past.  Into  it  we  can  truly  say  there 
have  been  built  the  hardships  and  privations  of  former 
years;  that  it  stands  as  the  memorial  of  a  rough  road 
safely  traveled,  a  monument  in  which  every  ward  and 
township  of  a  great  county  has  its  part,  from  which  every 
individual  may  draw  the  stimulus  of  gratitude  for  Avhat 
has  been  so  nobly  achieved  and  inspiration  for  still 
greater  hope  and  effort;  for  if  this  edifice  breathes  the 
spirit  of  our  past,  it  equally  enjoins  that  we  as  individuals 
put  that  spirit  into  the  future.  A  monument  that  does 
not  inspire  to  future  glory  is  wasted  effort.  The  Pyra- 
mids, the  Parthenon,  the  Colosseum,  mark  the  past  and 
height  attained  by  the  civilization  of  Egypt,  Greece  and 
Rome,  but  it  is  a  melancholy  fact  that  they  mark  as  well 
the  depths  to  which  they  fell.  The  past  of  Ingham 
County  teaches  a  lesson  that  can  not  be  too  often  re- 
iterated, a  story  that  can  not  be  too  often  told,  it  is  the 
great  truth  that  the  rewards  and  successes  of  life  are  the 
fruits  of  homely  virtues;  that  temperance,  industry  and 
frugality  make  for  collective  as  well  as  individual  well- 
being;  that  the  strength  of  counties  and  of  states  rests 
upon  the  integrity  of  their  citizenship  and  the  jealousy 
with  which  they  resent  encroachments  upon  their  honored 
rights  and  institutions. 

If  this  beautiful  buikhng  shall  stand  as  a  fitting  monu- 
ment for  the  future,  it  will  be  because  into  that  future 
we  shall  have  as  a  county  and  a  people  projected  and 
transmitted  the  virtues  born  of  industry  and  want,  and 
not   because    upon    the    fruits    1  hereof   our    children    arc 

163 


content  to  live  in  luxury  and  ease.  The  lesson  of  this 
occasion  is  individual  as  well  as  public  in  its  application. 
To  each  and  all  there  comes  the  injunction  that  to  the 
altar  of  civic  need  we  bring  the  best  fruits  of  our  wisdom 
and  our  conscience.  It  enjoins  upon  every  individual 
that  amid  new  and  changing  conditions,  both  social  and 
industrial,  we  hold  to  those  great  basic  principles  that 
have  brought  us  the  glory  of  our  past. 

My  friends  and  fellow  citizens,  let  us  not  seek  the 
wealth  that  enervates,  nor  the  power  that  tempts  to 
WTong.  Let  us  so  live  and  learn  that  in  the  building  of 
character,  both  individual  and  public,  each  achievement 
shall  be  only  an  incentive  to  still  further  effort;  then  will 
our  monuments  of  the  future  be  as  have  been  those  of 
the  past,  stepping  stones  from  which  the  children  of  the 
future  may  look  to  the  brighter  fields  that  lie  beyond. 

Self-government  has  its  tremendous  responsibilities  as 
well  as  its  compensations.  If  each  generation  shall 
manfully  grapple  and  solve  its  problems,  then  the  summit 
of  human  achievement  lies  only  beyond  the  veil;  if,  in 
luxury  and  indolence,  we  fail  in  the  task  assigned,  then 
no  matter  how  grand  the  monument  with  which  we  mark 
our  present,  the  coming  centuries  may  tenant  them  with 
people  to  whom  their  true  meaning  and  significance  is  as 
foreign  as  is  the  mighty  temple  of  Ramesses  to  the  humble 
Fellah  that  by  chance  may  wander  through  its  ruined 
vestibule. 


164 


The  Need  of  the  Commonwealth 

For  a  century  and  more,  our  Government  has  with- 
stood the  assaults  of  foreign  foes  and  triumphed  over  the 
internal  dissentions  of  its  own  people,  and  today  it  lives 
on,  a  grand  and  we  trust  imperishable  monument  to  the 
memory  of  its  founders.  Our  material  prosperity  is  and 
has  always  been  the  marvel  of  the  people  of  every  clime. 
As  we  stand  in  the  effulgence  of  modern  achievement, 
contemplating  the  realities  of  the  present  and  the  possi- 
bilities of  the  future,  we  are  lost  in  a  revery  of  wonder 
and  admiration  from  which  we  are  hardly  roused  by  the 
kindly  admonition  that  present  success  is  no  assurance  of 
future  prosperity.  So  used  have  the  world's  favored  and 
fortunate  ones  become  to  the  complication  of  industries, 
the  successful  termination  of  prodigious  enterprises,  and 
the  ease  with  which  inventive  genius  has  overcome  the 
obstacles  of  nature,  that  great  ethical,  social  and  political 
problems  are  forgotten  in  the  delirium  of  prosperity. 
Wisdom  sounds  the  warning  and  bids  her  votaries  make 
firm  and  abiding  the  foundations  upon  which  that  pros- 
perity rests, — none  other  than  her  manhood,  stalwart 
in  its  honor  and  integrity.  It  is  the  incredulous  who  decry 
the  warning,  and  with  their  eyes  covered  from  the  foe, 
ask,  where  and  in  what  section  is  the  danger. 

"Surely,"  say  they,  "it  can  not  be  in  the  hon-hearted 
North,  for  the  nation's  success  was  sealed  and  made 
possible  by  the  blood  of  her  heroes.  Verdant  hillsides, 
blossoming  orchards  and  fields  of  billowy  grain  bespeak 
the  prosperity  of  her  husbandmen,  while  the  clang  of 

An  early  Fourth  of  July  address. 

165 


anvils,  the  clatter  of  shuttles,  the  whirr  of  spindles  and 
the  screech  of  whistles,  all  sing  the  song  of  contented 
labor."     It  is  not  in  the  South,  says  the  champion  of  that 
section,  for  there  lies  the  fairest  land  of  all  our  broad 
domain;  in  the  words  of  one  of  Georgia's  gifted  sons, 
"  There  is  centered  all  that  can  please  or  prosper  human- 
kind; there,  by  night  the  cotton  whitens  beneath  the 
stars,  and  by  day  the  wheat  locks  the  sunshine  in  its 
bearded  sheaf.     In  the  same  field  the  clover  steals  the 
fragrance  of  the  wind  and  the  tobacco  catches  the  quick 
aroma  of  the  rain."     She  is  awake  from  her  lethargy  to 
renew  her  youth  at  the  fountains  of  her  own  prosperity, 
and  nowhere  throughout  the  land  has  Hamilcar  sworn 
young   Hannibal   to  hatred  and   vengeance   but   every- 
where to  loyalty  and  love.     The  danger  is  not  here,  comes 
a  voice  from  the  West,  protesting  that  the  strange  wild 
beauty  of  that  country  fills  them  with  love  for  home  and 
native  land,  and  that  their  children  breathe  in  the  spirit 
of  liberty  with  the  mountain  air. 

Thus  do  dangers  to  the  individual  and  the  nation  lie 
hidden  and  unobserved.  But  the  man  who  can  pene- 
trate to  the  bedrock  of  principle,  who  can  discern  ten- 
dencies and  accompanying  incidents  as  well  as  the  sub- 
stance from  which  they  spring,  comprehends  the  danger, 
sees  the  need  that  some  fair  proportion  of  the  nation's 
energy  be  rallied  from  the  race  for  gold  to  the  thought 
of  the  individual,  to  the  improvement  of  his  temporal 
condition  by  the  growth  of  his  manhood, — the  ennobling 
element  of  civilization  and  the  constant  and  continual 
need  of  the  commonwealth.  In  these  days,  when  the 
mind  is  full  of  the  strife  of  business,  it  is  well  to  consider 

166 


the  man,  for  l)y  him,  and  through  his  instrumentaUty,  are 
national  dangers  to  be  surmounted,  and  the  glorj'  of  the 
age  to  be  achieved. 

Where  in  all  the  realm  of  thought  or  in  the  wonders  of 
the  material  world  is  there  a  more  worthy  subject  of  con- 
sideration than  the  creator  of  thought  himself;  man,  the 
highest  order  of  creation, — the  vegetable  and  the  animal 
world  dying  that  he  may  live,  and  all  subservient  to  his 
will.  The  elements  of  nature  may  take  his  life,  yet  he  is 
greater  than  they  in  that  he  knows  wherefor  he  dies. 
All  institutions,  laws  and  inventions  reflect  the  wonders 
of  his  mind  and  the  mystery  of  his  being.  Fashioned  in 
the  image  of  his  God,  he  has  from  that  eventful  day  when 
the  morning  and  the  evening  stars  first  sang  together, 
been  the  one  being  of  Divine  favor,  the  light  of  history' 
and  the  beauty  of  song.  There  is  much  in  this  world 
of  beauty  that  allures  us  by  its  charms  and  furnishes  food 
for  contemplation  and  reflection  along  most  pleasing 
lines.  There  is  a  fascinating  power  in  the  beaut\"  of  a 
landscape,  when  from  the  brow  of  some  grand  old  moun- 
tain the  eye  turns  earthward  to  behold  the  gorgeous 
panorama  of  nature  with  its  picturesque  commingling  of 
hill,  vale  and  woodland,  tinged  with  the  gold  of  setting 
sun,  whose  last  rays  streaming  through  the  tree-tops  give 
them  the  appearance  of  mighty  ])ands  of  lace  work,  hung 
as  if  to  drape  the  earth  in  mourning  for  departing  day. 
Could  we  have  explored  the  wealth  of  the  mines  of  Ophir, 
from  whence  the  great  Solomon  of  Israel  brought  forth 
the  gems  of  his  mighty  temple  and  the  treasures  of  his 
kingdom,  we  would  willingly  have  attested  to  the  richness 
of  nature's  bounty;  l)ut  what  the  one  is  for  beauty  and 

167 


the  other  was   for  worth,    that   and  more  is  manhood. 

To  be  a  man,  is  to  be  ordered  by  the  everlasting  prin- 
ciples of  truth,  to  be  actuated  by  the  honor  that  sells  for 
no  price  and  compromises  to  no  necessity.  A  dying 
father  never  left  to  an  ambitious  son  a  more  Divine  in- 
junction than  did  Da\ad  of  old,  who  with  his  last  breath 
faltered,  "Be  thou  strong  therefore,  and  shew  thyself  a 
man."  And  now,  after  the  centuries  have  rolled  away, 
the  same  injunction  comes  to  us  with  renewed  force  and 
application,  enjoining  upon  us  that  the  questions  which 
have  been  kept  for  our  solution  be  handled  by  us  in  a 
way  that  becometh  men. 

In  these  days  of  great  activity,  when  it  is  more  than 
suspected  that  corruption  has  intruded  into  high  places, 
when  the  causes  which  lead  to  degeneracy  and  decay  are 
thought  to  be  found  working  at  the  foundations  of  gov- 
ernment and  society,  when  society  by  reason  of  new 
conditions  begins  to  feel  its  way  along  new  and  untried 
paths,  problems  are  presented  that  try  the  souls  of  men, 
the  solution  of  which  demands  a  manhood  conscious  of 
its  own  worth,  moved  to  action  by  the  loyal  devotion  it 
bears  to  the  cause  of  our  common  humanity — demands  it 
for  the  two-fold  reason  that  thereby  mankind  is  bettered 
and  his  institutions  saved. 

Today  the  nation  and  the  world  is  perplexed  and  beset 
with  the  great  problem  of  capital  and  labor,  which  thrives 
and  grows  as  a  fungus  on  the  very  prosperity  we  admire. 
In  this  nation,  twenty  million  workmen,  strong  in  arm 
and  in  the  powers  of  intelligence,  are  demanding,  with  an 
earnestness  that  admits  of  no  misunderstanding,  that  the 
wrongs  of  agelong  standing  be  adjusted,  and  that  to  the 

168 


workman  be  awarded  the  fruits  of  honest  toil.  Capital 
cannot  with  safety  to  itself  ignore  its  demands,  for  these 
demands  come  from  men  impelled  by  want  of  bread, — 
motive  that  will  make  of  a  man  either  a  hero  or  a  knave. 
Just  at  present,  there  may  be  quiet  along  the  line;  but 
mistake  it  not  for  the  quiet  that  comes  either  from  ad- 
justment or  despair.  It  betokens  the  lull  that  precedes 
the  fury  of  the  storm.  How  will  the  trouble  be  adjusted? 
Not  by  a  repetition  of  the  scene  of  Chicago's  Hajonarket, 
nor  by  the  use  of  the  bludgeon,  nor  yet  by  the  adoption 
of  the  numerous  visionarj^  schemes  of  the  demagogue; 
but  by  the  exemplification  of  the  golden  rule  in  business, 
by  the  growth  of  that  philanthropic  spirit  of  manhood 
from  which  comes  charity  and  confidence  and  the  cul- 
mination of  perfect  works.  Through  whatever  troubles 
this  and  kindred  ills  may  lead  us,  the  ultimate  adjustment 
will  be  had  upon  the  broad  and  comprehensive  platform 
of  equality  and  fraternity. 

Great  as  the  question  is,  and  far-reaching  in  its  con- 
sequences, yet  it  would  be  cause  for  congratulation  if  no 
other  exceeded  it  in  magnitude.  But  away  to  the  south 
there  Ues  a  country  that  is  all  and  more  than  has  been 
claimed  for  it.  Its  mines  and  forests  are  stored  with  well- 
nigh  inexhaustible  treasures,  and  its  quickening  industries 
are  prophetic  of  better  things;  yet  she  holds  within  her- 
self the  greatest  question  of  the  hour,  a  problem  that  has 
become  mighty  in  its  proportions  and  national  in  its 
character.  Upon  her  soil,  by  force  of  circumstances,  are 
commingled  two  separate  and  distinct  races,  made  equal 
by  statute,  but  woefully  unequal  in  intelligence  and 
responsibility;    the    one    justly    proud    of    Anglo-Saxon 

169 


liiK^ago,  their  ardor  kindling  at  the  mention  of  the  great 
names  of  that  greatest  race,  apt  in  the  science  of  govern- 
ment, proud  in  the  position  of  conscious  superiority 
which  it  enjoys;  the  other  weak,  vacillating  and  de- 
pendent, without  history,  tradition  or  experience,  and 
for  centuries  in  servile  bondage;  and  each  repelled  from 
the  other  by  a  prejudice  as  old  as  man.  The  adjustment 
of  their  difficulties  is  the  great  social  problem  of  the  hour; 
how  and  when  it  will  be  settled,  is  within  the  mind  of  the 
future.  Whether  in  separate  commonwealths  the  black 
man  works  out  his  own  destiny  and  forms  for  himself 
a  history,  or  reaches  the  race's  full  measure  of  attain- 
ments in  the  land  to  which  he  came  a  forced  and  un- 
willing subject,  surely  the  one  great  element  now  need- 
ed is  a  manhood  that  can  rise  above  the  prejudice  of  race 
and  condition,  a  manhood  that  can  with  patience  and 
sj^mpathy  grasp  the  hand  of  a  struggling  and  benighted 
people  and  guide  their  wavering  footsteps  in  the  paths  of 
knowledge;  this  alone  would  ameliorate  present  con- 
ditions and  would  hasten  the  day  when  from  the  Lakes 
to  the  Gulf  the  hearts  of  men  are  bound  together  by  the 
love  they  bear  their  common  country. 

The  dangers  that  beset  us  are  not  limited  to  these, 
but  like  the  fears  of  darkness  they  multiply  as  we  pro- 
ceed. Could  the  heroes  of  Concord,  Lexington  or  Valley 
Forge  awake  from  their  long  and  peaceful  sleep  to  behold 
the  scenes  of  a  modern  election  day,  surely  their  cheeks 
would  crimson  as  they  should  behold  the  fountains  of  the 
nation's  life  and  honor  polluted  by  the  foul  hand  of 
bribery  and  corruption;  should  see  the  hopes  and  aspira- 
tions of  the  intelligent  and  patriotic  thwarted,  the  needs 

170 


and  necessities  of  good  government  defeated,  by  the  herd 
to  whom  the  dollar  comes  as  a  potion  that  makes  a  man 
forget  his  country,  by  a  rabble  that  Judas-like  will  for 
the  paltry  piece  of  silver  betray  their  country's  hopes  and 
debase  their  nation's  honor.  This  is  not  a  party  crime, 
confined  to  any  State  or  section,  but  a  poison  that  like 
foul  malaria  has  permeated  the  whole  body  politic. 
Surelj'  here  is  a  great  danger,  not  only  to  the  nation  1)ut 
to  the  individual  man.  It  dwarfs  his  moral  nature,  im- 
pairs his  self  respect  and  exposes  him  to  the  just  hatred 
and  contempt  of  his  fellowman.  Legislation  that  aims 
toward  the  purity  of  the  ballot  is  to  be  commended.  A 
law  that  forever  would  chsfranchise  the  man  who  should 
dare  to  sell  his  vote  would  be  salutary;  but  not  until  the 
combined  forces  of  good  in  this  nation  arise  in  the  in- 
dependent richness  of  their  own  manhood  and  place  the 
seal  of  their  condemnation  upon  this  practice  can  the 
dark  stain  be  effaced  from  the  name  of  the  nation. 

These  are  some  of  the  dangers  to  which  we  are  sub- 
jected; and  as  if  they  were  not  sufficient  to  obstruct  the 
path  of  progress,  section  is  arrayed  against  section  and 
faction  against  faction,  all  living  for  a  common  purpose 
and  controlled  by  a  common  destiny,  but  each  holding 
the  other  in  perpetual  distrust  and  estrangement,  seem- 
ingly lest  in  the  peace  of  the  present  the  sorrows  and  the 
conflicts  of  the  past  should  be  forgotten. 

Thus  while  we  are  lulled  into  a  feeling  of  security  by 
the  activity  of  the  business  world,  while  we  boast  of  our 
marvelous  achievements  and  partake  of  the  bounties  of 
a  favored  soil  and  a  genial  clime,  the  old  ship  of  state 
moves  on;  nor  will  >hv  falt(>r  or  turn  aside  though  the 

171 


dark  cloud  threatening  rise  more  and  more  to  human 
view,  for  on  its  front  is  hung  the  bow  of  promise.  And 
assured  with  its  presence,  supported,  maintained  and 
defended  by  men  whose  manhood  is  the  crowning  glory 
of  the  age,  she  will  outride  the  storm,  saved  from  all 
dangers  that  surround  her;  but  to  do  this  she  demands, 
and  must  receive,  brave  defenders,  men  and  women 
filled  with  high  purpose,  and  leaning  for  support  upon 
their  own  integrity. 

There  have  been  times  when  this  great  people  have 
turned  with  anxious  faces  to  the  men  who  were  to  defend 
her  honor  in  the  council  of  the  nations;  there  have  been 
times  when  her  bugle  has  sounded  the  call  for  men  to  go 
forth  and  decide  her  problems  by  an  appeal  to  the  ar- 
bitrament of  arms;  but  never  did  she  stand  in  greater 
need  of  men  than  she  does  today,  not  with  sword  and 
buckler  to  go  forth  in  the  smoke  of  battle,  for  the  world  is 
beginning  to  believe,  with  Whittier,  that  "Peace  hath 
higher  tests  of  manhood  than  battle  ever  knew."  She 
has  found  such  men  in  the  past;  they  will  not  be  found 
wanting  in  the  future.  There  are  those  who  believe  that 
the  places  of  past  greatness  can  not  be  filled;  that  present 
dangers  presage  the  certainty  of  destruction.  But,  for 
me,  I  would  rather  believe  that  there  are  no  fixed  stars  in 
the  firmament  of  mankind,  that  each  does  its  duty  for  a 
season  and  then  goes  out.  Thanks  to  the  richness  of 
human  nature,  the  heavens  are  never  wholly  dark;  fitly 
has  it  been  said,  "When  one  great  light  fades,  flickers 
and  is  extinguished,  another  appears  in  an  unexpected 
quarter."  While  great  men  die,  their  places  are  some- 
how always  filled,  and  while  there  may  be  counter  marches 

172 


and  retreats  in  the  line  of  progress,  yet  the  trend  is 
always  upward.  These  views  may  be  Utopian,  and 
national  ruin  and  disaster  not  ^^^thout  the  range  of 
possibilities,  still,  to  my  gaze,  there  comes  a  brighter  and  a 
fairer  vision,  and  vision  though  it  be,  still  do  I  cherish  it. 
I  see  a  nation  standing  forth  in  the  fullness  of  the  coming 
man,  freed  from  her  turmoils  and  dissensions;  a  Republic 
compact  and  indissoluble  in  the  bonds  of  love,  the  wounds 
of  war  forgotten,  and  peace  reigning  in  the  hearts  of  men. 
And  as  I  look,  the  splendor  brightens,  as  the  gates  of 
glory  open  and  the  light  of  Divine  favor  flashes  down  the 
way  of  progi'ess,  making  clear  the  pathway  over  which 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth  must  come  that  would  cast 
their  anchors  in  the  haven  of  tranquility. 


173 


Getting  Rich 

Mr.  President,  members  of  the  graduating  class,  Ladies 
and  Gentlemen:  As  you  may  know,  ray  platform  ex- 
periences have  been  confined  to  efforts  incident  to  my 
profession,  and  to  the  discussion  of  questions  of  a  political 
nature.  In  departing  from  a  familiar  path,  there  is 
always  danger  both  in  a  literal  and  a  figurative  sense; 
danger  both  to  liml)  and  to  reputation.  In  addressing 
my  thought  to  subjects  foreign  to  my  more  common 
expressions,  I  realize  that  I  may  be  inviting  the  situation 
which  once  faced  an  old  judge  in  the  State  of  Indiana. 

Judge  David  Quaintance  was  a  jurist  of  the  old  school; 
his  pre-eminence  in  his  conununity  was  attested  b}^  a 
courtliness  of  bearing  and  superioritj-  of  mind  that  were 
both  innate  and  gracious;  but  he  was,  withall,  a  man  of 
positive  opinions,  and  nowhere  was  he  more  positive 
and  uncompromising  than  in  his  politics.  In  the  cam- 
paigns of  forty  years  the  Judge  had  championed  the 
principles  of  his  party,  the  party  of  Jefferson  and  Jackson, 
in  every  county  of  the  Hoosier  State.  In  the  excitement 
of  the  hustings  he  could  meet  fire  with  fire,  and  steel 
with  steel;  the  weapons  of  satire,  derision  and  denuncia- 
tion were  ever  ready  at  his  hand,  and  were  generally 
used  even  upon  small  provocation.  Once  in  the  early 
80's  the  Judge  was  the  principal  speaker  at  a  Demo- 
cratic barbecue.  The  crowd  had  gathered  from  far 
and  near,  and  numbered  into  the  thousands.  After  the 
minor  festivities  were  passed,  the  Judge  mounted  the 
platform  and  faced  the  sympathetic  host.     With  voice 

Address  at  the  Mason  High  School. 

174 


someAvhat  enfeebled  with  years,  he  began  by  saying, 
"]\Ir.  Chairman,  and  fellow  Democrats,  I  need  not  tell 
you  that  my  heart  rejoices  at  my  being  here,  for  as  you 
know,  in  the  log  cottage  that  once  crowned  yonder  hill, 
I  was  born,  and  this  afternoon  beneath  the  pines  that 
point  heavenward  from  just  beyond,  are  two  mounds, 
that  mark  the  last  resting  place  of  my  dear  old  father 
and  mother."  As  he  halted  for  an  instant,  with  a  tear- 
drop glistening  in  his  eye,  from  the  confines  of  the  crowd 
beyond  the  limits  where  his  voice  could  carry  came  the 
shrill  voice  of  a  native,  "That's  right.  Judge;  give  'em 
fits."  (The  man  did  not  say  "fits,"  but  the  time  and 
occasion  do  not  permit  me  to  come  any  nearer  to  the 
language  employed). 

I  trust  that  my  strength  of  voice  will  protect  me  from 
any  such  misguided  friend. 

I  am  to  speak  tonight  upon  a  most  important  subject, 
namely,  "Getting  Rich."  It  must  be  an  important 
subject,  for  since  that  far-off  time  when  man  first  fashioned 
a  war  club,  and  woman  wove  for  herself  a  mantle  of 
bark  and  palm  leaves,  up  to  the  time  when  men  turn 
rivers  of  water  into  corporate  stocks  and  corner  the 
produce  market,  more  thought  has  been  expended  on 
getting  rich  than  upon  any  other  thing  in  the  world. 
Today  there  are  ten  men  and  women  thinking  about  how 
to  get  rich,  to  one  that  is  thinking  about  how  to  be  good; 
ten  men  seeking  the  glitter  of  gold,  to  one  that  is  seeking 
to  bless  mankind.  The  man  who  today  could  discover 
a  chemically  produced  substitute  for  rubber,  would  have 
untold  millions  of  material  wealth  at  his  command;  the 
same  man  could  give  to  the  race  a  specific  for  tuberculosis, 

175 


and  go  in  want  for  bread.  Today  a  man  may  gain  a 
palace,  with  an  army  of  servants  to  run  at  his  beck  and 
call,  by  inventing  some  means  for  saving  a  cent  a  ton  in 
the  handling  of  ore  from  mine  to  furnace;  he  may  die 
hungry,  on  a  pallet  of  straw,  if  his  labors  have  been  for 
men's  moral  regeneration.  Today  a  man  may  become 
rich  beyond  the  dreams  of  avarice  by  cornering  wliat 
others  have  produced;  or  he  may  write  the  imperishable 
poems  of  a  Goldsmith  and  remain  as  poor  as  was  that 
wonderful  genius.  Now,  for  fear  some  multi-millionaire 
in  the  audience  may  begin  to  think  that  I  have  designs 
against  the  stability  of  his  fortune,  I  wish  to  say,  not- 
withstanding the  financial  returns  of  the  professional 
prize-fighter  are  larger  than  the  financial  returns  of  the 
teacher,  preacher,  humanitarian  and  scholar,  and  not- 
Avithstanding  the  fact  that  there  are  young  ladies  who 
regard  a  man  with  an  automobile  with  more  favor  than 
a  man  with  only  a  high  character,  I  still  believe  that  the 
material  development  of  these  modern  days  is  to  be 
counted  among  the  mightiest  and  most  beneficent 
forces  that  have  influenced  the  history  of  the  race. 

The  student  of  history  has  discovered  that  progress 
has  been  characterized  by  development  along  special 
lines,  rather  than  by  a  simultaneous  development  along 
all  the  lines  of  human  effort.  The  Nazarene  led  the  world 
in  a  spiritual  awakening  whose  force  and  power  is  still 
the  most  potent  factor  in  human  life,  as  it  is  likewise  the 
most  reasonable  assurance  of  the  life  to  come.  Art  and 
architecture  have  likewise  in  their  time  been  the  en- 
grossing subjects  of  human  thought,  and  the  handwork 
of  the  early  Greeks,  of  Michael  Angelo,  of  Raphael,  and 

176 


of  Sir  Christopher  Wrenii  are  models  not  yet  excelled 
by  modern  effort.  Although  the  age  of  letters  may  be 
said  to  be  still  with  us,  no  modern  production  can  surpass 
the  classics  of  the  olden  days,  when  the  names  of 
Shakespeare,  Johnson,  and  the  other  writers  of  the  great 
Elizabethan  Age  were  carved  at  the  top  of  the  list  of  the 
heroes  of  literary  attainment.  It  is  likewise  true,  that 
in  the  science  of  government,  and  in  the  ideas  of  personal 
liberty,  the  world  owes  more  to  the  years  in  which  Wash- 
ington's soldiers  starved  at  Valley  Forge  and  Napoleon's 
cannon  thundered  on  the  battle  fields  of  Europe,  than  to 
any  other  ten  centuries  in  the  history  of  the  world. 

Great  as  was  the  progress  of  the  world  in  the  domain  of 
pure  religion,  in  art,  in  literature  and  in  the  ideas  of 
liberty  and  government,  it  remained  for  this  century  to 
seek  out  the  wonders  of  science,  to  develop  the  inventive 
faculties,  and  to  stimulate  activity  among  material 
things.  So  extensive  has  been  this  development,  that 
the  marvels  of  invention  no  longer  startle  us,  and  the 
prodigies  of  enterprise  no  longer  surprise  us.  It  is  a 
development  that  has  transformed,  not  only  our  activities, 
but  our  very  thoughts  and  aspirations.  It  is  visible  in 
every  field  of  human  effort,  from  the  farmer  following 
his  plow  and  tending  his  herds  to  the  mighty  steamships 
that  buffet  the  wind  and  the  waves  of  old  ocean;  it  has 
given  to  the  peasant  opportunities  and  means  of  comfort 
and  enjoyment  beyond  the  limitations  of  th(»  prince  of 
two  centuries  ago.  Our  material  progress  has  fostered 
universal  education,  arid  education  has  in  turn  promoted 
material  development.  In  Michigan  alone,  the  school- 
house  doors  are  daily  swinging  open  to  an  army  of  boys 

177 


and  girls  more  than  five  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
strong;  more  than  eighteen  thousand  more  are  in  her 
higher  institutions  of  learning.  Within  the  memory  of 
men  still  living,  for  it  was  in  1837,  the  first  locomotive 
awoke  the  echoes  in  the  Old  Northwest,  the  third  one  to 
make  its  advent  west  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains.  The 
railway  construction  of  the  world  has  been  done  since 
that  recent  date.  We  travel  across  the  leagues  of  ocean 
waste  and  desert  sand  to  view  the  mighty  pyramids  of 
Egypt;  and  yet  the  ballast  on  American  railroads  is 
greater  than  one  hundred  and  fifty-six  great  pyramids, 
while  the  ties  used  in  their  construction  would  build 
others  to  the  number  of  twenty-four.  From  the  rail- 
roads of  the  world  built  since  the  pioneers  blazed  a  path- 
way through  the  forests  of  Michigan,  trackage  could  be 
taken  sufficient  to  build  a  double  track  to  the  moon,  and 
more  than  one  half  the  trackage  could  be  taken  from  the 
roads  of  these  United  States.  To  this  lunar  railway  we 
could  furnish  from  our  own  systems  39,729  locomotives 
and  1,409,472  freight  cars;  equipment  sufficient  to  main- 
tain a  train  of  one  locomotive  and  thirty-five  cars  on 
every  twelve  miles  of  the  road;  and  if  upon  such  a  rail- 
road the  first  train  should  leave  this  place  tonight  and 
should  speed  at  forty  miles  an  hour  without  stops  for 
fuel  or  water,  it  would  be  October  25,  1909,  before  the 
first  train  could  complete  the  round  trip  and  the  last 
crew  could  call,  "All  aboard  for  the  moon."  In  every 
car  of  the  forty  thousand  trains  upon  this  lunar  railway 
we  could  place  a  thousand  dollars  worth  of  merchandise 
and  produce  and  then  only  touch  the  volume  of  our 
foreign  exports.     We   could   give    to    each    train    5,000 

178 


bushels  of  corn,  2,500  bushels  of  wheat,  15,000  pounds 
of  bacon,  7.000  pounds  of  hams  and  4,000  pounds  of 
pork,  and  not  disturb  the  amount  required  for  domestic 
consumption. 

As  late  as  1844,  when  William  A.  Burt  was  surveying 
in  the  vicinit}'  of  the  present  city  of  Negaunee,  the  great 
variation  of  the  magnetic  needle  led  to  the  discovery  of 
the  great  Jackson  iron  mine.  Other  discoveries  followed, 
and  now  this  prime  necessity  of  human  progress  is  being 
torn  from  the  mines  of  Michigan  and  ^Minnesota  and 
sent  down  the  Lakes  in  a  mighty  fleet  of  steamers,  by  the 
side  of  which  the  Spanish  Armada  would  be  as  toys. 
From  the  mines  of  Michigan  alone,  is  being  taken  an- 
nually, not  far  from  twelve  million  tons  of  ore,  worth 
more  than  twenty-six  millions  of  dollars.  We  can  better 
realize  the  immensity  of  this  production  if  we  stop  to 
think  that  this  amount  of  ore,  if  sixty  per  cent  pure, 
would  make  more  than  one  hundred  thousand  miles  of 
steel  rail  weighing  eighty-  pounds  to  the  yard. 

In  1859  the  Michigan  Legislature  offered  a  bounty  of 
ten  cents  a  bushel  and  freedom  from  taxation  to  promote 
the  manufacture  of  salt.  The  spirit  of  the  times  touched 
the  industry,  and  last  year  our  output  would  have  filled 
the  barrels  that  could  be  placed  on  end  between  the  city 
of  Jackson  and  the  Straits  of  Mackinac,  while  it  was 
selling  as  a  profit  to  the  manufacturer  at  a  price  but  little 
above  the  bounty  of  a  half  century  ago. 

In  1794,  about  the  time  of  the  birth  of  the  grand- 
fathers of  some  of  the  older  persons  here,  Eli  Whitney 
was  inventing  the  cotton  gin,  which  was  to  become  one 
of  the  most  important  factors  in  the  history  of  the  nation. 

179 


At  that  time  we  were  producing  about  8,000  bales  of 
225  pounds  each.  Now  we  are  producing  about  twelve 
million  bal(^s  annually  of  five  hundred  pounds  each. 
That  is  sufficient  to  cover  the  county  of  Ingham  with  a 
quilt  of  compressed  cotton  one  foot  thick.  At  four 
yards  of  cotton  cloth  to  the  pound,  that  is  sufficient  raw 
cotton  to  cover  7,741  square  miles  with  the  product  of 
the  loom,  or  to  wrap  a  bandage  five  hundred  and  forty- 
five  times  around  the  earth  at  the  equator. 

Modern  history  tells  the  story  of  the  sale  of  Manhattan 
Island  for  the  sum  of  twenty-four  dollars.  Today,  six 
square  miles  in  the  neighborhood  of  Central  Park  has  a 
greater  assessed  valuation  than  all  the  real  estate  in  the 
great  commonwealth  of  Missouri.  While  the  assessed 
valuation  of  the  land  of  the  city  of  New  York  exceeds  the 
valuation  of  the  entire  State  of  Pennsylvania  including 
improvements,  such  has  been  and  still  is  the  marvelous 
growth  of  this  wonderful  city,  high  authorities  now 
estimate  that  by  1925  the  daily  water  consumption  of 
this  city  will  be  equal  to  a  body  of  water  one  square  mile 
in  extent  and  five  feet  deep. 

We  might  recount,  with  profit,  the  colossal  enterprises 
being  prosecuted  by  the  Government  upon  the  Isthmus 
of  Panama,  where  a  mountain  is  being  pierced  for  the 
marriage  of  the  oceans;  to  the  erection  of  the  mighty 
dams  in  the  West,  some  of  them  a  hundred  feet  in  thick- 
ness and  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred 
feet  in  height,  that  are  to  transform  canyons  and  valleys 
into  vast  inland  geas  whose  stored  waters  are  to  quench 
the  thirst  of  the  desert  and  make  the  barren  waste  respond 
to  the  efforts  of  the  husbandman.     It  is  this  spiritof 

180 


material  progress  that  has  made  it  possible  for  man  to 
register  his  thoughts  across  the  trackless  seas  with  no 
connection  save  the  mysterious  forces  of  the  universe; 
it  is  the  same  spirit  that  impels  men,  co-partnerships, 
and  corporations  to  combine  in  still  larger  organizations 
to  facilitate  production  and  increase  profits,  to  conceive 
and  perfect  the  mighty  enterprises  that  in  magnitude  and 
wonder  surpass  the  imaginings  of  the  kings  who  built 
the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  threw  up  the  walls  of  Babylon 
or  laid  the  foundations  of  ancient  empires. 

My  purpose  tonight  is  to  acknowledge,  rather  than 
deny,  the  reality  of  the  progress  that  has  come  through 
the  material  development  of  the  century.  That  the 
race  Avill  profit  from  this  wonderful  development,  is 
certain:  but,  as  we  contemplate  the  wonders  of  our 
creation,  there  is  need  that  we  consider  that  which  is 
greater  and  more  exalted  than  the  creations  of  man's 
hand,  greater  than  the  railroads  which  gird  the  earth, 
greater  than  the  mines  which  pierce  its  foundations, 
greater  than  the  ships  which  plow  its  seas, — man  himself. 
View  the  illimitable  universe  from  whatever  standpoint 
we  may,  contrast  man  vnih  it  or  with  the  vast  and  over- 
powering forces  of  nature,  both  visible  and  mysterious, 
still  man  remains  the  most  wonderful  subject  of  his  own 
thought.  Though  of  feeble  strength,  yet  man  harnesses 
the  lightning  to  his  use,  while  wind  and  wave  become 
obedient  to  his  will.  The  eye  looks  out  to  behold  the 
mighty  mountains,  whose  foundations  were  laid  in  the 
making  of  the  world;  to  behold  vast  rolling  seas,  distilled 
from  the  mists  of  chaos,  that  lie  in  calm,  or  rage  in  storm; 
forests  wide  and  primeval;  hill,  vale  and  mighty  plain 

181 


gathered    together    in    picturesque    comminghng ;    such 
scenes  startle  the  imagination,  by  their  magnitude  and 
stupendous  grandeur,  and  yet  from  the  innermost  depths 
of  the  mountains,  from  the  caverns  of  the  sea,  from  field 
and  forest,  man  appropriates  the  elements  conducive  to 
his  life  and  pleasure.     The  crushing  power  of  the  winds, 
the  tiniest  rill,  or  the  inanimate  clod,  may  take  the  life 
of  man;  but  even  in  death  he  may  exult  in  his  pre-emi- 
nence, for, with  the  old  Greek  poet, he  can  exclaim:     "I 
have  lived  a  day."     Well  might  the  Psalmist,  in  a  burst 
of  inspired  ecstasy  exclaim,  "When  I  consider  the  heavens, 
the  work  of  thy  fingers,  the  moon  and  the  stars  which 
thou  hast  ordained;  what  is  man  that  thou  art  mindful 
of  him? '  For  thou  has  made  him  a  little  lower  than  the 
angels,   and  hast  crowned  him  with  honor  and  glory. 
Thou  madest  him  to  have  dominion  over  the  works  of 
thy  hand.     Thou  has  put  all  things  under  his  feet." 
W^here  shall  we  look  for  language  more  expressive  of  the 
dignity  of  man's  place  or  the  greatness  of  his  capabilities? 
Truly,  little  more  than  the  secret  of  life  seems  hid  from 
his  view.     He  traverses  the  waste  of  abysmal  space,  and 
calculates  the  magnitudes  and  motions  of  other  worlds. 
He  reads  the  earth's  history  from  the  rocks,  and  from  a 
ray  of  light  tells  the  composition  of  the  stars;  and  to  him, 
through  heart  and  mind,  comes  that  wondrous  vision, — 
the  immortality  of  the  soul.     If  such  be  a  correct  char- 
acterization of  man's  place  in  the  world,  then  is  his  chief 
glory  to  be  found,  not  in  his  possessions,  but  in  what  is 
wrought  in  and  through  him;  his  true  wealth  and  worth 
is  measured,  in  the  last  analysis,  not  so  much  by  what 
he  has,  as  by  what  he  is.     It  is  in  this  connection  that 

182 


our  material  development  has  wrought  its  harm.  Men 
are  glorihang  stocks  and  bonds,  lands  and  possessions, 
forgetful  of  the  truth  of  the  Hebrew  proverb,  which 
says,  "There  is  that  maketh  himself  rich,  yet  hath 
nothing;  there  is  that  maketh  himself  poor,  yet  hath 
great  riches." 

There  are  men  who  insist  that  in  the  case  where  a  man 
was  allowed  to  vote  because  he  answered  the  property 
qualification  by  ])eing  assessed  for  a  jackass,  that  when 
the  jack  died  the  man  was  rightfully  barred  from  his 
franchise  because  it  was  the  jackass  that  had  been  voting. 

That  great  genius,  Henry  David  Thoreau,  was  not  so 
far  wrong  in  his  philosophy  as  one  might  at  first  think 
as  one  stormy  night  while  snugly  sheltered  in  his  hut 
near  Walden  pond  he  mused  of  his  wealthy  neighbor 
who  at  that  moment  was  facing  the  darkness  and  the 
storm  piloting  an  ox  team  to  a  distant  town,  "  I  am 
richer  than  he,  for  instead  of  his  owning  the  oxen  he  is 
owned  by  them."  The  true  mission  of  wealth,  in  its 
generally  accepted  sense,  lies  in  increasing  the  powers 
and  capabilities  of  men,  not  in  dwarfing  their  powers 
from  luring  men  to  its  worship.  Great  and  mighty  as 
have  been  and  now  are  our  material  conquests,  the 
richness  of  life  has  ever  been,  now  is,  and  ever  will  be,  in 
the  heart  and  life,  and  not  in  the  wallet.  The  acquisition 
of  money  is  not  a  virtue  of  intrinsic  merit,  it  evolves  no 
joy  within  the  heart,  it  ])rings  to  life  none  of  the  sweeter 
melodies  of  liope  and  faith,  it  was  never  the  spark  that 
fired  a  human  life  Avith  a  martyr's  zeal,  a  hero's  courage, 
or  a  Christian's  love;  but  to  the  zeal,  the  courage  and  the 
love  once  born  it  may  give  a  power  a  thousand  fold.     It 

183 


may  become  the  handmaid  of  industry,  the  mentor  of 
progress  and  the  power  of  civihzation,  or  it  may  paralyze 
industry,  stop  progress  with  corruption,  and  in  civihzation 
plant  the  germs  of  degeneracy  and  decay. 

Individuals  have  lived  to  bestow  the  blessings  of 
mighty  lives,  though  to  material  wealth  unknown,  while 
others  have  wasted  in  useless  magnificence  in  the  palaces 
of  pomp  and  power.  In  the  later  years  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  two  babes  were  born  whose  lives  were  destined 
to  be  mighty  forces  in  the  world,  but  along  ways  that 
were  to  have  nothing  in  common.  One,  from  the  Isle 
of  Corsica,  went  forth  as  a  modern  Caesar  to  be  the 
master  of  Europe,  to  place  the  coronet  of  France  and  the 
iron  crown  of  Charlemagne  upon  his  brow,  and  his  relatives 
upon  the  thrones  of  Holland,  Spain,  Naples  and  West- 
phalia; to  wed  the  daughter  of  the  proud  emperor  of 
Austria,  and  to  plan  for  his  son  the  succession  of  his 
glorious  dynasty;  to  win  success  with  the  blood  and  tears 
of  half  of  Europe,  and  then  to  lose  it  all,  and  be  chained 
like  fabled  Prometheus  to  a  barren  rock  in  the  lonely 
sea,  to  be  the  central  figure  in  the  mightiest  tragedy  of 
time.  The  other  went  from  the  humble  mud  cottage  of  a 
Scottish  peasant,  to  give  melody  to  the  passions  of  the 
human  heart,  to  know  poverty  and  sorrow,  but  with  the 
power  to  catch  and  make  vocal  the  most  glorious  im- 
pulses that  prompt  to  human  action.  A  wounded  hare, 
the  field  mouse  and  the  daisy  were  the  objects  of  his 
solicitude  and  love.  Although  he  was  destined  to  penury, 
and  was  never  to  pass  beyond  the  restricted  limits  of  a 
few  Scotch  counties,  to  him  was  given  a  knowledge  of 
the  universal  heart;  and  as  Lockhart  has  said,  "Short 

184 


and  beautiful  as  were  his  years,  he  has  left  behind  him  a 
volume  in  which  there  is  inspiration  for  every  fancy,  and 
music  for  every  mood ;  which  lives,  and  will  live  in  strength 
and  vigor,  to  soothe  the  sorrow  of  how  many  a  lover,  to 
inflame  the  patriotism  of  how  many  a  soldier,  to  fan  the 
fires  of  how  many  a  genius,  to  disperse  the  gloom  of 
solitude,  appease  the  agonies  of  pain,  encourage  virtue 
and  show  vice  its  ugliness,  a  volume  in  which  centuries 
hence  as  now  wherever  a  Scotchman  may  wander  he  will 
find  the  dearest  consolation  of  his  exile." 

Such  were  the  lives  of  Napoleon  Bonaparte  and  Robert 
Burns.  Beneath  the  gilded  dome  of  the  "Invalides,"  in 
the  city  of  Paris,  is  one  of  the  most  magnificent  sepulchres 
that  was  ever  erected  for  the  ashes  of  the  dead.  From  a 
circular  balcony,  the  visitor  looks  upon  a  crypt,  twenty 
feet  deep  and  thirty-six  in  diameter.  From  the  center 
of  the  mosaic  pavement  rises  the  tomb  of  the  great 
Napoleon,  a  sarcophagus  carved  from  a  sixty-seven-ton 
block  of  porphyry  brought  hither  from  Finland.  About 
the  crypt  are  twelve  colossal  statues  of  Victor}^  with 
groups  of  battle  flags  intervening.  On  the  pavement  are 
inscribed  the  great  victories  of  the  dead, — Moscow, 
Rivoli,  The  Pyramids,  Merengo  and  Austerlitz.  The 
subdued  sunlight  falls  through  the  stained  glass  windows 
of  the  roof,  and  invests  the  scene  with  ineffable  solemnity ; 
but  it  is  a  solemnity  that  can  not  enlarge  the  influence  of 
the  silent  tenant.  View  the  character  of  Napoleon  from 
whatever  standpoint  we  may,  either  as  the  embodiment 
of  ambition,  cruel  and  insatiate,  or  as  the  iconaclastic 
spirit  of  reform,  still  the  richness  of  his  life  was  as  poverty 

185 


to  the  influence  of  him  who  in  hfe  and  in  bitter  want 

could  sing, 

The  rank  is  but  tlio  guinea's  stamp, 
The  man's  the  gold  for  a'  that. 

A  few  years  ago  a  criminal  warrant  was  sold  in  the  city 
of  London  for  the  sum  of  $1,525.  What  was  the  secret 
of  its  value?  Not  its  age;  although  its  date  went  back  to 
the  reign  of  Charles  II,  thousands  older  can  be  had  for  a 
shilling.  Not  because  it  bore  the  signatures  of  thirteen 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  six  Baronets  and  seven  Esquires, 
for  while  they  are  the  names  of  men  w^ho  stood  for  the 
dignity  of  the  state,  still  they  have  been  forgotten  these 
centuries.  The  secret  of  its  value  lay  in  the  fact,  that  it 
had  been  issued  for  a  Bedford  tinker  who  had  dared  to 
think;  because  upon  it  John  Bunyon  was  once  brought 
before  an  English  court  that  sent  him  to  an  English 
prison  as  an  offender  against  the  law;  because  it  was  the 
letters  patent,  as  it  were,  of  a  man  who  was  poor  in  money 
but  rich  in  soul.  Without  this  warrant,  perchance  this 
sturdy  tinker  w^ould  not  have  spent  twelve  years  in  an 
English  prison  and  the  world  would  have  lost  that  wonder- 
ful allegory  of  the  Pilgrim's  Progress.  Men  w^ere  willing 
to  bid  a  fortune  for  a  document  because  the  life  of  the 
man  for  w^hom  it  w^as  issued  had  demonstrated  that  the 
power  of  kings,  of  wealth,  of  bolts  and  bars,  was  weaker 
than  a  wealth  of  soul. 

I  hold  that  that  man  or  woman  is  rich  who  has  developed 
his  or  her  talents  to  the  full.  The  stars  differ  one  from 
another  in  brilliancy  and  hue,  the  flowers  of  earth  have 
each  their  color  and  perfume,  but  they  do  not  differ  in 
dignity  or  honor.     If  the  school  system  of  the  day  is 

186 


deficient  in  one  thing  more  than  another,  it  is  in  not 
teaching  boys  and  girls  the  dignity  of  helpful  service. 
Whether  we  have  designed  it  or  not,  our  schools  have 
inculcated  the  idea  that  there  is  a  special  dignity  and 
honor  in  intellectual  attainments,  and  society  emphasizes 
the  pre-eminence  of  financial  ability.  We  have  pro- 
ceeded upon  the  assumption,  that  there  is  time  for  the 
boy  and  girl  to  learn  the  lessons  of  manual  industry  in 
the  great  world-school  of  experience,  after  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  shall  have  been  spent  in  the  training  of  the 
intellect;  we  are  now  discovering  that  the  two  types  of 
schooling  should  go  hand  in  hand.  We  are  learning 
more  and  more  of  the  true  richness  of  human  life,  more 
and  more  of  the  true  dignity  of  all  helpful  service.  We 
need  also  to  learn  that  the  mighty  wealth  of  our  modern 
development  is  but  an  incident  to  the  total  wealth  of 
human  life.  The  dollars  for  which  men  strive  with 
feverish  energy  are  not  within  the  reach  of  all;  but  there 
should  be  joy  in  the  fact  that  the  treasury  of  a  rich  spirit 
has  open  doors.  Within  this  treasury  are  opportunities 
as  varied  as  man's  needs,  and  rewards  equal  to  every 
effort, — rewards  by  the  side  of  which  the  treasure  of  the 
miser  is  a  worthless  thing.  To  the  men  and  women 
who  have  made  for  the  true  progress  of  humanity,  there 
is  need  of  a  richer  recompense  than  money.  Life  would 
be  a  sordid  thing,  if  the  debt  due  from  the  race  to  a 
Wilberforce,  a  Florence  Nightingale,  or  a  Frances  Willard, 
were  paid  in  coin.  The  richest  lives  of  the  world  have 
been  those  of  the  men  and  women  who  have  labored  with 
the  prom])ting  spirit  of  useful  service, — men  and  women 
who  have  gone  to  the  tasks  before  them  with  large  hearts 

187 


and  mighty  souls,  responsive  to  a  zeal  that  argues  the 
noblest  faith  of  man.     Material  wealth  to  them  has  been, 
as  it  must  be  to  every  one  who  succeeds  in  the  larger 
sense,  an  incident  rather  than  the  aim  of  effort,  a  means 
to  an  end  rather  than  an  end  to  be  gained  by  any  means. 
We  would  revolt  at  the  thought  that  the  great  Washington 
led  the  armies  of  freedom,  that  the  great  Jefferson  gave 
to  the  cause  of  liberty  the  strength  of  his  mighty  mind, 
that  others  have  braved  the  dangers  of  hospital  and  camp 
and  sought  to  raise  the  fallen  to  manhood,  with  no  higher 
incentive  than  a  time  check  on  a  Saturday  night.     And 
yet  the  elements  that  have  made  for  the  success  of  the 
great  characters  of  the  world,  are  the  same  elements  that 
are  necessary  to  \\an  the  rewards  in  life's  lesser  affairs. 
In  every  community  more  than  half  of  the  people  say, 
by  their  lives  if  not  by  their  voices,  "We  would  make  the 
effort  for  great  things  if  we  had  but  the  genius  to  achieve." 
Yet  what  is  genius,  other  than  the  power  to  give  ex- 
pression to  the  Divine  impulse  born  with  every  human 
soul?     It  may  voice  itself  through  the  inspired  lines  of  a 
Shakespeare,  a  Byron,  or  a  Poe,  the  architectural  con- 
ceptions of  a  Michael  Angelo,  or  the  wondrous  art  of  a 
Raphael;  but  it  speaks  as  truly  through  the  best  efforts 
of  the  man  who  stands  behind  the  anvil,  the  bench,  the 
counter  and  the  plow.     No  man  should  despair  because 
the  best  expression  of  his  genius  is  to  labor  in  life's  common 
ways.     The   world   has   more   work   for   plowmen   than 
poets,    more   need    of   blacksmiths   than   orators,    more 
employment  for  carpenters  and  masons  than  for  artists 
and  sculptors. 

Away  with  the  retarding,  dwarfing  notion  that  dignity 

188 


attends  onh^  upon  the  labors  of  the  isolated  and  ex- 
ceptional. A  man  may,  and  indeed  should,  bring  to  the 
tilling  of  the  soil,  to  the  handling  of  his  engine  throttle, 
to  the  shoving  of  plane  and  saw,  as  exalted  notions  as 
ever  inspired  men  who  have  touched  brush  to  canvass  or 
chisel  to  marble. 

The  tools  with  which  men  achieve  success,  are  the  same 
in  every  calling.  A  natural  aptitude  is  unquestionably 
given  to  each  human  l^ody,  and  in  the  language  of  another: 
"Blessed  is  he  who  has  found  his  work."  When  a  boy 
has  found  his  work,  he  will  find  out  that  physical  health, 
intellectual  vigor,  industry,  and  energy-,  make  for  ninety 
per  cent  of  the  world's  successes.  Shakespeare  has  put 
en  the  docks  by  the  side  of  the  sea  of  life  a  large  portion 
of  the  people  of  the  world,  by  saying:  "There  is  a  tide 
in  the  affairs  of  men  which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on 
to  fortune,"  and  there  they  sit,  dreamy  watchers  for  the 
flood  of  fortune's  tide  which  never  comes. 

Opportunity  and  environment  may  enlarge  or  restrict 
the  ultimate  achievements  of  men;  but  the  fact  is,  that 
the  issues  of  but  few  lives  have  been  determined  by 
isolated  opportunities.  The  wealth  or  poverty  of  most 
lives  depends  more  upon  the  use  of  the  days,  weeks, 
months  and  years  that  precede  the  day  of  opportunity. 
Young  men  and  women, — build  for  opportunity,  instead 
of  waiting  for  it.  Let  no  day  pass  without  placing  in 
the  temple  of  your  lives  some  stone  fashioned  for  use  and 
beauty;  and  when,  through  the  slow  processes  of  the 
years,  you  shall  have  piled  one  stone  upon  another, 
behold  the  wonder  of  a  structure  that  in  charm  and 
beauty  surpasses  anything  that  was  ever  built  in  the 

189 


day    of    c)i)portunity.     Opportunities    are    not    wanting. 
What  is  wanted,  is  men,  who  will  do  with  their  might 
what  their  hands  find  to  do.     The  fountains  from  which 
the  masters  and  heroes  of  the  world  have  drunk  deep, 
are  still  flowdng.     Infinity  and  immensity  are  still  about 
us;  the  heavens  still  glow  with  the  orbs  of  night  as  on  the 
day  when  the  morning  and  the  evening  stars  first  sang 
together.     The  wonderful  life  about  us  still  has  all  the 
mystery  and  charm  it  had  when  the  Son  of  Man  said, 
"Consider  the  lily  of  the  field;  it  toils  not,  neither  does 
it  spin,  yet  verily  I  say  unto  j^ou,  that  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these."     Opportunities 
for  richness  of  life  in  the  great  field  of  science,  in  the 
great  field  of  literature,  in  the  great  field  of  industry',  in 
the  great  field  of  mojals  and  reform,  are  pleading  for 
men  and  women,  and  j^et  there  are  millions  of  men  and 
women  who  find  their  highest  pleasure  in  a  game  of 
penochle.     In   a   material,  constructive   waj^,    divert   in 
this  community  the  energy  wasted  and  dissipated  in  the 
never-changing,    never-ending,   thumb-twdrling   of   social 
conventionalities,   apply  it  to  useful  purposes,  find  re- 
laxation and  diversion  in  constructive  things:  not  only 
will  the  lives  of  the  men  and  women  of  the  community 
be  richer,  but  inside  of  ten  years,  your  citj^  will  boast  a 
hundred  advantages  and  joys  that  are  now  unknown. 
Many  a  young  man  sits  idle  and  in  poverty  of  soul  be- 
cause he  feels  that  he  is  debarred  from  the  great  world- 
stage  of  activity,  umnindful  of  the  fact  that  in  his  town- 
ship and  village  there  are  a  thousand  conditions  calling 
for  improvement,  a  thousand  opportunities  to  draw  the 
dividends  of  real  life.     Many  a  young  man  and  woman 

190 


feels  that  they  are  handicapped  in  Hfe's  efforts  bj'  the 
want  of  some  imaginary  quahty  of  surpassing  merit. 
Yet  it  is  the  knowledge  of  common  things,  the  inbred 
tendency  to  practice  the  homely  virtues,  that  makes  for 
the  richest  life.  To  have  the  soiled  hands  of  industry, 
is  better  than  to  wear  a  paste  diamond;  for  the  young 
man  who  has  learned  the  lesson  of  labor  has  a  competency 
already  assured.  Known  honesty  and  integrity  have 
secured  more  positions  for  young  men  and  women  than 
the  recommendations  of  rich  relatives.  Good  habits  are 
a  better  financial  asset  for  any  young  man  than  an  un- 
earned legacy;  for  without  the  first,  he  is  sure  to  lose  the 
latter.  I  have  seen  more  than  one  young  man  choose 
the  cigarette  and  unconsciously  surrender  positions  that 
in  years  to  come  meant  affluence  and  honor.  The  young 
woman  who  takes  to  the  marriage  altar  a  goodly  knowledge 
of  domestic  duties,  is  dowered  with  greater  wealth  than 
the  sister  who  can  boast  of  nothing  more  than  a  gorgeous 
trousseau.  Poverty  in  domestic  science  has  been  the 
prime  cause  of  discord  in  many  a  home,  and  much  trouble 
has  started  in  the  kitchen  that  has  found  its  ending  in 
the  divorce  courts. 

The  man  who  cares  more  for  his  credit  than  for  his 
clothes,  who  is  more  jealous  of  his  honesty  than  of  his 
appearance,  who  can  work  as  well  in  the  absence  as  under 
the  eye  of  the  boss,  who  thinks  of  his  work  instead  of  his 
wages,  who  hates  poverty  of  soul  more  than  lio  does 
poverty  of  purse, — is  in  danger  of  neither. 

Young  men  and  women,  if  you  aspire  to  the  greater 
riches  of  life,  put  into  your  hearts  and  souls  the  sentiment 
which  animated  the  great  Philli])s  l^rooks,  when  he  said: 

101 


"Do  not  pray  for  easy  lives,  pray  to  be  stronger  men. 
Do  not  pray  for  tasks  equal  to  your  powers,  pray  for 
powers  equal  to  yoiu-  tasks.  Then  the  doing  of  your 
work  shall  be  no  miracle,  but  you  shall  be  a  miracle. 
Every  day  you  shall  wonder  at  yourself,  at  the  richness 
of  hfe  which  has  come  to  you  by  the  grace  of  God." 


192 


The  Good  and  the  Bad 

Who  made  the  heart,  'tis  He  alone 

Decidedly  can  try  us, 
He  knows  each  chord, — its  various  tone. 

Each  spring — its  various  bias: 
Then  jit  the  balance  let's  be  mute. 

We  never  can  adjust  it; 
What's  done  we  partly  can  compute. 

But  know  not  what's  resisted. 

So,  half  sadly,  but  truly,  sang  Scotland's  illustrious 
bard.  Surely,  no  life  was  ever  more  full  of  contradictions 
than  was  the  life  of  Robert  Burns.  His  heart  was  atune 
with  the  Diviner  melody,  yet  he  walked  at  times  in  life's 
devious  ways  and  drank  from  the  cup  that  yields  nothing 
but  the  memorj^  of  bitterness.  His  inner  life  was  in 
joj'ous  harmony  with  lofty  ideals;  his  outer  life  some- 
times touched  the  bounds  of  sorrow  and  despair.  And 
for  this,  all  true  men  love  him,  for  in  their  hearts  they 
know  that  in  heights  and  depths  the  experiences  of 
Robert  Burns  are  the  experiences  of  humanity. 

Who  arc  the  good?  Alas!  who  are  the  bad?  The 
human  heart  is  a  strange  and  inexplicable  thing,  even 
unto  itself.  Rare,  indeed,  is  the  man  whose  mental  poisa 
is  such,  that  in  his  estimate  of  himself  he  can  say  honestly, 
"This  I  do,  and  that  I  abstain  from  doing,  because  of 
inherent  love  of  the  good  which  is  within  me;  this  I  do, 
and  that  I  abstain  from  doing,  because  of  the  thousand 
influences  that  are  rooted  in  the  centuries  gone."  Like- 
wise, rare  is  the  man  in  whose  heart  there  dwells  the 
fullness    even    of    human    charity.     Daily   through    the 

193 


troubled  scenes  of  human  life  there  strides  the  Pharisee, 
in  princely  pride,  gathering  his  regal  robe  of  self-right- 
eousness about  him,  while  with  mingled  scorn  and  affected 
pity  he  inclines  his  head  in  mock  dignity  to  look  upon 
some  brother    whom  the  world  has  branded  with  the 
badge  scarlet,  and  as  the  multitude  gazes,  he  passes  by 
on  the  other  side,  lest  the  hem  of  spotless  garments  be 
touched  by  a  poor  soul  torn  by  passions  and  temptations 
and  experiences  that  the  Pharisee  in  his  narrowness  has 
never   known.     O,  God   of   the   weak   and  fallen,    thou 
readest   their   hearts,    thou    knowest   their   trials,    thou 
knowest  their  weaknesses !     What  unpitying  merciless  em- 
bodiments of  thy  form  Divine  have  gained  and  are  still 
gaining  the  plaudits  of  the  world  for  success  and  good- 
ness; while  tonight,  how  many  a  loving  heart,  at  times 
touched  by  feelings  almost  Divine,  whose  nobler  passions 
are  fanned  to  flame  by  a  breath  such  as  might  come  from 
the  beating  of  an  angel's  wing,  by  the  same  world  are 
clothed  in  the  rags  of  shame,  because,  forsooth.  Fate  has 
led  their  footsteps   in  the  rough  ways  of  life,  given  ex- 
periences reserved  as  trials  for  the  few,  acquainted  them 
with  temptations  which,  but  to  know,  was  to  fall.     A 
relative  thing  is  temptation.     It  is  never  such,  in  fact, 
unless  it  awakens  a  responsive  echo  within  the  soul ;  thus 
it  is  always  to  the  weak,  and  not  to  the  strong.     Poor 
souls,  and    how  many  such  there  are!     If  kindly  spirits 
shed  their   influence  and  linger  near  the  haunts  of  men, 
surely    they    are    watching   near    to    these.     How   little 
credit,  in  the  pride  of  success  and  goodness,  do  we  give 
to  the  favorable  environment  with  which  we  have  been 
hedged  about.     Fate    leads  our  feet  in  rosy  ways,  and 

194 


because  we  smell  the  perfume,  we  claim  honor  to  our- 
selves. We  stand  in  the  forefront  of  opportunity;  it 
bears  down  upon  us  like  an  onrushing  flood;  ofttimes 
we  struggle  to  be  free  from  it  and  are  borne  along  by  its 
tide  against  the  Avill  until  in  goodly  season  we  find  that 
we  have  drifted  to  a  rich  and  fertile  shore;  and  when  our 
feet  press  the  sunny  strand  with  wealth  and  the  bounties 
of  nature  within  our  grasp,  forgetful  of  the  way  and 
mindful  only  of  the  possession,  we  take  all  the  credit  to 
ourselves,  dispossess  the  Almighty,  and  proclaim  our 
greatness  throughout  the  land. 

The  goodness  of  success  may,  and  does,  come  to  some  as 
a  gracious  benediction;  while  to  others  it  comes  in  its 
fullness  as  the  reward  either  of  patient  seeking  or  of 
unremitting  toil.  Who  has  not  seen  in  vision,  if  not  in 
reality,  a  stately  temple,  grand  in  its  conception,  mag- 
nificent in  its  execution,  and  embellished  with  every 
beauty  known  to  the  cunning  hand  of  art.  Within  its 
sacred  precincts  we  have  seen  the  throng, — the  throng 
ennobled  by  birth,  blessed  with  culture,  and  proud  in 
wealth  and  position,  standing  in  mute  and  solemn  pres- 
ence, while  a  mighty  organ  rolled  forth  in  thunder  tones 
its  deep  diapason,  filling  trancept  and  nave  with  its 
wonderous  melody,  softened  and  made  glorious  as  in 
pleasing  harmony  there  floats  to  them  the  music  of  the 
human  voice,  breathing  the  gentle  intonations  of  a  grand 
Te  Deum.  Listen  to  the  impassioned  pleadings  for 
purer  life,  and  the  tragic  condemnation  of  sinful  things; 
eloquence  that  charms,  and  affrights.  Who  has  not  felt, 
to  some  degree,  these  inspirations  that  lift  to  higher 
planes.     How  they  soften  the  hardness  of  life!     Yet  how 

195 


often  we  see  this  mighty  throng  pass  out  and  away, 
proud  of  conscious  power,  cold  and  unsympathetic,  their 
Uves  conforming  to  the  most  rigid  rules  of  worldly  statutes, 
yet  each  the  possessor  of  a  heart  that  is  a  stranger  and 
unknown  to  the  wondrous  passions  of  its  possibility. 
The  Avorld  says,  these  are  the  good. 

The  eyes  need  not  be  closed  to  see  another  vision,  for 
daily  we  meet  the  reality  in  the  highways  of  hfe.     It 
crouches  in  the  verj^  shadows  of  the  temple  from  which 
comes  the  music  sacred  and  Divine.     Some  child  of  the 
night  is  resting  there, — fatherless,  motherless,  homeless, 
alone.     That  cruel  decree  of  Fate  which  visits  the  sin 
of  the  parent  upon  the  imiocence  of  the  child,  has  per- 
chance closed  the  door  of  hope  in  the  face  of  this  wander- 
ing waif.     She  may  have  been  as  pure  as  the  drifting 
snow  which  wreathes  about  her;  within  her  heart  may 
have  burned  the  vestal  fires  of  human  emotion;  inspiration 
may  have  come  at  times  for  grand  and  noble  things;  and 
the  heart  in  its  tenderness  may  have  yearned  for  the 
fullness  of  its  possibilities.     Many  a  time  does  such  an  one 
succumb  to  the  temptations  in  life's  devious  ways  and 
arise  vnih.  renewed  hope  only  to  struggle  on  until  life  is 
embittered  and  prospect  saddened.     Inexplicable  is  the 
course  such  a  life  must  run,  because  the  sweet  and  tender 
impulses  become  lost  in  an  unknown  way.     How  different 
?5uch  a  life,  could  its  course  have  been  run  in  sunny  happy 
ways,  and  the  heart  have  been  refreshed  by  the  perfume 
of  life's  roses,  instead  of  torn  by  their  thorns.     Surely, 
the  day  will  come  when  some  just  judge  will  say,  "The 
spirit  was  willing,  the  flesh  onlj-  was  weak;  though  the 
life  had  blame,  the  heart  was  pure."' 

136 


The  Lodge  of  Sorrow 

Exalted  Ruler,  brothers,  ladies  and  gentlemen: — Our 
order,  like  many  others  of  like  character,  has  seen  fit  to 
set  apart  a  day  dedicated  to  the  absent  brother.  It  is  a 
beautiful  custom,  appropriate  to  every  organization  built 
upon  the  great  and  beneficent  principle  of  fraternity  and 
brotherly  love. 

How  changed  the  meaning  of  each  recurring  Lodge  of 
Sorrow.  Year  by  year  we  call  the  names  of  the  absent 
ones,  and  the  silence  that  follows  the  repeated  call  yearly 
strikes  some  heart  with  a  new  and  strange  significance; 
for  yearly  our  tablet  is  engraved  with  the  name  of  some 
brother,  whose  life  to  someone,  like  the  accents  of  a  sweet 
song,  still  vibrates  in  the  memory. 

The  world  has  ever  been  lavish  with  its  tributes  and 
memorials  for  those  who  have  gone  down  in  the  full  glow 
of  the  white  light  of  worldly  fame.  From  Rameses  to 
the  fortune-favored  of  our  own  day,  as  the  notable  have 
passed  from  the  scenes  of  life,  the  world  has  made  haste 
to  write  large  the  story  of  their  achievements  and  to 
make  enduring  the  records  of  their  fame;  but  history  has 
shown  that  a  people  may  erect  triumphal  arches  and 
inscribe  colossal  monuments  to  deified  heroes  and  departed 
kings  without  their  own  souls  being  awake  to  the  wonder- 
ful truths  of  fraternity  and  brotherly  love;  without  the 
consciousness  that  the  same  Divine  spark  animates  the 
peasant  in  the  cottage  and  the  prince  upon  his  throne, 
and  that  in  the  last  analysis  the  honors  of  life  are  to 

Address  before  the  Lansing  Lodge,  B.  P.  O.  E. 

197 


those  who,  in  "whatever  station,  do  well  with  the  talents 
given  into  their  keeping. 

It  is  a  matter  of  congratulation,  that  a  day  is  set  apart 
and  is  growing  in  favor,  wherein  the  people  gather  to- 
gether and  do  honor,  not  to  the  memory  of  one  man 
because  of  his  attainments,  but  to  the  memory  of  all  men 
according  to  their  virtues. 

This  day  helps  on  the  full  realization  of  the  fact  that  in 
life's  many  calls  to  duty,  honors  should  be  for  the  manner, 
rather  than  the  kind,  of  doing.  The  world  has  been  slow 
in  realizing  that  "man's  inhumanity"  which  "has  made 
countless  thousands  mourn"  has  arisen  in  large  degree 
because  honors  have  been  bestowed  according  to  the  kind 
rather  than  the  manner  of  the  doing.  But  a  gladder 
and  a  better  day  is  dawning  on  the  world,  which  is  coming 
more  and  more  to  understand  that  they  who  drag  the 
rock  from  the  mountain's  side  and  they  who  in  the 
studio  fashion  it  in  the  similitude  and  beauty  of  the 
human  form,  are  all  working  to  a  common  purpose;  that 
hfe  calls  for  more  blacksmiths  than  poets;  for  more 
carpenters  than  artists;  and  that  the  armj^  of  men  who 
sit  with  hand  to  the  throttle  of  the  rushing  engines,  are 
as  important  a  part  of  the  great  transportation  systems 
as  are  the  less  numerous  general  managers.  Humanity 
will  have  achieved  a  grand  advance,  when  they  who  toil 
honestly  in  the  lowly  and  hard  ways  of  life  can  stand 
unabashed  in  the  presence  of  wealth  and  power,  and 
when  they  who  are  chosen  to  the  exceptional  service  are 
always  conscious  of  the  far-reaching  claims  of  fraternity 
and  brotherly  love.  When  this  day  comes,  men  will 
have  worked  into  their  lives  no  new  and  hitherto  un- 

198 


known  strength  and  power,  but  each  will  have  become 
conscious  of  the  beneficence,  the  strength,  the  power,  of 
the  virtues  which  are  the  charm  of  common  life. 

Today  we  commemorate  the  humble  virtues  of  men 
whose  fate  it  was  to  labor  in  the  multitudinous  affairs  of 
life,  each  in  his  place  doing  the  work  given  into  his  care; 
of  men  who  brought  love  into  their  homes,  and  loyalt}' 
and  integrity  into  their  citizenship. 

From  this  it  must  appear,  that  the  purpose  of  this  day 
is  not  that  empty  honors  may  be  paid  to  those  w^ho  have 
gone  beyond,  but  rather  that  from  their  lives  we  may 
draw  lessons  helpful  to  us  who  still  remain,  lessons  that 
the  children  of  men  have  ever  needed  to  learn  and  of 
which  they  have  never  had  more  need  than  now. 

Modern  civilization  has  not  only  given  new  direction 
to,  and  mightily  intensified,  the  activities  of  men,  but  has 
introduced  elements  that  are  changing  many  a  man's 
ideas  of  the  great  problems  of  life  and  human  destiny. 

Today,  we  are  grappling  with  the  mighty  problems  of 
empire;  we  are  busy  with  the  larger  questions  of  finance; 
we  are  active  in  the  mysteries  of  invention  and  discovery. 
Every  scheme  that  promises  an  increase  of  wealth  and  its 
attendant  pow^er  commands  the  attention  of  a  multitude 
which  is  limited  as  to  .size  only  by  the  capacity  of  the 
most  distant  to  see  and  hear.  It  is  perhaps  well  that  it 
is  so,  for  we  are  busy  at  this  time  with  material  develop- 
ment. Humanity  seems  never  to  have  experienced  a 
symmetrical  development  at  one  and  the  same  time 
along  all  the  lines  of  human  advancement.  The  rule  has 
seemingly  l)een  an  advance  along  individual  lines  to  the 
exclusion  dl'  two  or  more.     The  dawn  of  the  Christian 

199 


era  marks  the  beginning  of  an  advance  in  spiritual  de- 
velopment that  still  leavens  society  with  a  mighty  strength 
and  power.  Art  and  letters  entranced  the  world  while 
Michael  Angelo  wTOUght  and  Shakespeare  sang.  The 
cause  of  human  liberty  and  democracy  engrossed  the 
thoughts  of  men  while  Napoleon's  cannon  roared  and 
Washington's  famished  troops  shivered  at  Valley  Forge. 
Commercialism,  in  its  most  intensive  form,  has  been 
reserved  as  the  program  of  these  later  days.  It  is  but 
stating  the  general  thought  to  say,  that  no  other  line  of 
development  along  which  humanity  has  passed  has  been 
more  fraught  with  dangers  to  those  high  ideals  which 
have  ever  been  the  beacon  lights  of  progress,  than  have 
those  which  today  lurk  about  us  in  our  present-day 
activities. 

The  spiritual  development  of  the  race  received  its 
greatest  force  from  the  life  and  character  of  the  lowly 
Nazarene,  whose  earthly  career  touched  the  heights  of 
pure  and  lofty  devotion.  His  simple  life  gave  to  evil  a 
darker  tinge,  and  to  virtue  a  more  radiant  glow.  Through 
the  lowering  clouds  of  doubt  and  error  he  opened  the 
bright  vistas  of  hope  and  promise.  Every  precept  of 
Christianity  was  the  antithesis  oi  material  selfishness 
and  lust  of  power. 

Art  and  letters  were  likewise  the  messages  of  unselfish- 
ness and  love.  Whether  in  the  carven  stone,  the  glowing 
canvass,  or  the  printed  page,  they  have  ever  been  attempts 
to  catch  and  to  make  intelligible  some  glorious  inspiration 
that  the  sculptor,  the  artist,  or  the  author  would  give  to 
his  fellow.  The  genius  of  a  Byron,  or  a  Burns,  was  to 
the  enrichmg  of  humanity,  not  only  in  their  own  day,  but 

200 


for  the  untold  centuries  of  the  future.  Even  the  shock 
and  tumult  of  a  mihtant  democracy  was  as  the  bugle 
note  of  deliverance  and  victor^'  to  all  but  those  who 
fattened  through  injustice  and  oppression.  To  milhons^ 
the  tramp  of  soldierj^  and  the  boom  of  camion  meant 
hope  and  opportunity,  the  breaking  of  a  brighter  and  a 
better  day. 

In  spirituality,  in  art,  in  letters,  in  libertj-,  the  gain 
and  advance  of  everj^  man  has  been  the  gain  and  advance 
of  every  other  man.  Can  the  same  be  said  with  equal 
truth  of  the  development  which  has  for  its  basis  the 
conversion  of  the  powers  and  resources  of  nature?  Do 
we  not  see  a  vast  difference  in  the  moving  inspiration  of 
the  men  who  went  forth  to  tell  the  story  of  the  Man  of 
Galilee,  and  the  men  who  today  combine  to  control  the 
means  of  production  or  transportation?  Do  we  not 
catch  the  difference  between  the  inspiration  which  moved 
men  to  associate  to  declare  the  great  doctrine  that  all 
men  are  created  free  and  equal,  and  that  which  may 
prompt  men  to  associate  to  exploit  the  mineral  lands  of 
Michigan  or  the  oil  fields  of  Texas?  We  must  all  recog- 
nize, that  great  and  desirable  as  is  our  present-day 
progress,  it  has  in  it  elements  unknown  to  the  progress 
of  other  times  and  other  lines.  Today  we  see  a  tense 
and  nervous  struggle,  the  prompting  of  an  ambition 
which,  if  not  controlled  by  a  broad  and  comprehensive 
charity  and  by  the  higher  sentiments  of  justice  and 
integrity,  becomes  cruel  and  insatiate;  an  ambition  that 
benumbs  the  conscience  and  dwarfs  the  growth  of  every 
constructive  faculty. 

My  friends,   it  is  these  considerations   that   make  for 

201 


the  opportuneness  and  value  of  the  lessons  of  this  day. 
Every  thinking  man  admits,  there  is  need  as  never 
before  that  we  as  a  race,  and  especially  as  a  nation,  take 
frequent  reckoning  of  course  and  currents,  and  that  we 
keep  well  in  mind  the  great  problems  of  life  and  destiny. 
To  us  as  a  fraternal  organization,  what  day  is  more 
suited  to  this  purpose  than  this  our  annual  day  of 
Memorial?  As  we  scan  the  roster  of  our  departed,  and 
each  unlocks  the  secret  chambers  of  his  heart  and  looks 
again  upon  the  impressions  made  by  the  life  gone  out, 
what  are  the  thoughts  and  sentiments  that  seek  for 
expression?  Is  it  that  such  a  friend  was  a  merchant 
prince,  with  that  magic  in  his  touch  which  turned  the 
dust  to  yellow  gold  and  we  miss  him  because  the  earth 
has  seen  none  so  great  as  he  since  then?  Do  we  say  of 
another,  that  we  loved  him  because  of  a  gift  of  genius 
whereby  he  brought  ten  thousand  men  to  do  his  bidding; 
or  do  we  say  yet  of  a  third,  that  we  are  unconsoled  and 
mourn  his  loss  because  in  life  he  had  gathered  to  himself 
every  luxury  that  might  be  the  desire  of  a  sensual  taste? 
No;  we  say  none  of  these  things.  Genius  may  claim 
our  admiration,  but  it  is  virtue  that  receives  our  love. 
If  as  we  call  the  names  of  the  absent  ones,  memory 
lingers  to  bestow  a  kindly  tribute,  it  is  because  he  upon 
whose  memory  the  tribute  is  bestowed  measured  to  the 
full  stature  of  a  man;  because  in  life,  whatever  may  have 
been  his  station,  he  wrought  with  a  noble  purpose  and 
justly  earned  the  application  of  Wordsworth's  lines, 
That  best  portion  of  a  good  man's  life, — 
His  little,  nameless,  unremembered  acts 
Of  kindness  and  of  love. 
202 


If  thus  overtopping  man's  grandest  achievements  in 
the  fields  of  common  effort  we  find  the  common  virtues 
of  Ufe,  and  count  each  life  a  failure  unless  its  material 
successes  are  adorned  with  the  qualities  of  charity, 
fidelity,  justice  and  honor,  how  important  it  is  that  these 
qualities  find  places  of  utility  and  strength  in  the  building 
of  our  own  lives  and  characters.  It  is  important  that  we 
gain  the  knowledge  that  these  things  be  built  into  the 
structure.  Men  can  not  live  lives  of  selfishness  and  in- 
justice and  in  their  latter  days  claim  merit  because  they 
glaze  them  over  with  the  tinsel  of  better  things.  The 
gold  which  there  is  in  a  life,  to  give  value  to  it,  must  have 
been  refined  within  the  crucible  of  a  man's  own  soul;  it 
must  permeate  the  character,  and  show  in  thought  and 
deed,  not  be  reserved  to  gild  a  crown  to  be  carried  on  his 
bier.  Time  does  not  suffice  for  a  man  to  live  two  kinds 
of  existence,  one  in  which  he  maj^  gather  the  fruits  of 
meanness,  and  another  in  which  he  may  reap  the  rewards 
of  justness.  Byron  has  justly  said,  that  man  is  as  a 
pendulum  between  a  smile  and  tear.  It  is  true,  that  with 
an  eternity  upon  either  hand,  for  one  brief  moment  it  is 
given  to  man  to  fashion  the  life  which  is  to  be  his  earthly 
credit  for  the  untold  aeons  to  come. 

Today  the  question  comes.  What  is  life's  highest 
purpose?  Has  it  claims  upon  me  above  and  beyond  the 
satisfaction  of  my  individual  needs  and  the  needs  of  those 
who  by  law  or  blood  are  dependent  upon  me'?  From  the 
tombs  of  the  dead,  from  every  avenue  of  worthy  ex- 
perience, yea  from  your  very  presence  here,  comes  the 
answer,  "It  has."  Our  lives  are  to  be  lived,  not  only  for 
ourselves,  but  for  our  fellows. 

203 


There  is  such  a  thing  as  the  joy  of  service.  Men  find 
it  when  they  so  exercise  and  develop  their  abiUties,  their 
powers,  and  their  talents,  that  they  become,  not  only  of 
profit  and  honor  to  themselves,  but  to  all  who  come 
within  the  circle  of  their  influence. 

My  brothers!  this  is  no  Eutopian  fancy.  From  Moses 
to  our  own  day,  these  qualities  have  been  the  guiding 
]irinciples  of  every  life  that  has  been  at  once  both  good 
and  great.  They  are  principles  that  in  no  way  limit  or 
prescribe  the  talents  of  men.  They  have  given  lustre 
to  the  life  of  Franklin,  of  Lincoln,  of  every  man  who  as  a 
national  character  has  gained  a  place  in  the  affection  of 
the  people. 

A  life  may  be  so  lived  as  to  be  like  unto  the  rose,  which 
suffers  no  diminution  because  of  the  fragrance  which  it 
exhales.  My  brothers!  If  today  memory  recalls  the 
ties  that  bound  departed  brothers  to  us,  still  stronger 
than  the  ties  of  kinship  and  fraternity  are  the  ties  of  their 
congenial  spirits,  the  ties  that  proceed  from  the  knowledge 
that  the  lives  gone  out  were  lives  ruled  by  honor  and 
integrity,  sweetened  and  tempered  by  love  and  by  the 
real  joy  of  living;  and  because  as  a  tribute  to  each  we  can 
say, 

Green  be  the  turf  above  thee, 

Friend  of  my  better  days! 

None  knew  thee  but  to  love  thee, 

Nor  named  thee  but  to  praise. 


204 


Judge  Henry  P.  Henderson 

My  good  friends,  I  wish  this  afternoon  that  I  could 
find  words  to  express  the  sentiment  that  is  common  to 
even-  heart  here;  there  are  times  when  the  heart  feels 
what  words  camiot  tell,  and  this  is  such  a  time. 

I  can  hardly  remember  when  I  did  not  know  Henry  P. 
Henderson,  but  I  knew  him  scarcely  at  all  in  the  field  in 
which  he  WTOught  so  long  and  achieved  so  much;  there 
are  others  here  who  will  speak  of  Judge  Henderson  as  the 
la"v\yer,  members  of  the  bar  who  either  A\dth  him  or 
against  him  came  to  know  and  to  appreciate  the  strength 
and  vigor  of  his  powers. 

Almost  a  quarter  of  a  century  ago  I  left  my  country 
home  to  become  a  student  in  the  office  of  Huntington  and 
Henderson  of  this  city.  Soon  Judge  Henderson  was 
appointed  to  the  federal  bench  in  Utah,  while  I  continued 
with  Judge  Huntington  and  later  with  my  good  friend 
George  F.  Day.  First  Judge  Huntington  was  taken, 
then  we  followed  the  mortal  remains  of  Brother  Day  and 
saw  them  lowered  to  their  last  resting  place  upon  yonder 
hillside.  Today,  I  stand  beside  the  casket  of  Judge 
Henderson,  the  last  of  the  three  men  who  prompted  my 
youthful  aspirations,  my  lieart  filled  with  emotion  that 
I  can  find  no  language  to  express. 

I  knew  Henry  P.  Henderson  as  the  young  man  knows 
the  older,  warm-hearted,  wise  counselor  and  friend.  It 
is  seldom  that  a  man's  talents  and  virtues  remain  a  force- 
ful factor  in  a  community  a  quarter  of  a  century  after 

Remarks  inade  at  the  funeral  of  Jiicipe  Henry  P.  Henderson,  who  died  in 
Salt  Lake  City,  Utah,  on  June  3,  1009,  and  whose  funeral  was  held  from  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Mason  on  .lune  13,  1909. 


ho  lias  It^ft  its  busy  scenes,  and  yet  such  can  be  said  in 
truth  of  our  departed  friend,  and  it  will  continue  true  for 
long  years  to  come.  Upon  the  school  board  of  this  school 
district,  as  an  officer  in  our  city  government,  in  county, 
state  and  federal  positions  as  well  as  in  the  distinguished 
service  he  rendered  in  his  chosen  profession,  Henry  P. 
Henderson  proved  himself  a  great  man,  perhaps  the 
greatest  that  has  gone  from  among  us.  There  ws  real 
love  and  affection  for  Judge  Henderson  here  in  Mason, 
as  the  presence  of  this  company  bears  witness.  We  are 
not  thinking  today  of  the  things  which  brought  him 
position  and  worldly  fame.  The  love  that  this  com- 
munity bore  him  was  not  the  cold  admiration  accorded 
to  achievement,  but  the  warm,  pulsating  affection  that 
sets  toward  the  man  who  has  the  qualities  that  make 
him  a  loyal  friend.  If  I  were  to  speak  of  the  one  char- 
acteristic of  this  good  man  that  ever  impressed  me  as  the 
most  prominent  in  his  nature,  the  characteristic  which  in 
my  association  with  him  was  the  most  frequently  brought 
to  my  attention,  it  would  be  that  trait  which  is  ever 
associated  with  true  greatness,  the  trait  of  modesty. 

Judge  Henderson  brought  great  abilities  to  the  dis- 
charge of  his  numerous  duties,  yet  it  should  be  said  of 
him  that  few"  men  approached  their  tasks  with  less  show 
or  ostentation.  His  modesty  was  of  that  innate  and 
unconscious  character  which  is  ever  the  accompaniment 
of  a  great  soul.  Many  a  time  we  know  that  in  the  field 
of  political  effort  Judge  Henderson  refused  to  claim  his 
own;  many  a  time  he  retired  from  the  field  and  allowed 
others  of  less  ability  but  of  more  vanity  to  push  to  places 
of   trust    and   power.     I   am   stating  only   what   others 

206 


know  when  I  say  that  but  for  this  trait  in  his  character 
Judge  Henderson  might  once  have  gained  a  seat  upon  the 
supreme  bench  of  Michigan  as  he  might  once  have  gained 
a  seat  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States.  Whatever 
Judge  Henderson  gained  in  the  pohtical  world  he  gained 
through  the  force  of  his  superb  mental  abilities  and  not 
through  his  demands  or  entreaties  at  the  throne  of  political 
power. 

I  have  said,  and  many  a  tear-dinmied  eye  bears  testi- 
mony, that  the  people  of  Mason  loved  Judge  Henderson. 
There  is  compensation  in  the  knowledge  that  he  in  turn 
loved  the  people  of  Mason.  His  life  could  almost  be 
said  to  have  been  the  life  of  Ingham  County.  The  last 
time  we  rode  together  from  Lansing  to  this  city,  as  we 
passed  the  old  Benton  house  he  turned  to  me  and  said, 
"  As  a  boy  I  have  driven  over  this  road  when  that  was  the 
last  house  between  Lansing  and  Mason."  So  in  a  measure 
he  grew  up  with  Ingham  County,  and  was  drawn  to  its 
people  by  a  thousand  ties  and  associations,  ties  that 
grow  in  strength  with  every  true-hearted  man.  Although 
he  left  us  long  years  ago  and  measured  to  the  full  stature 
of  his  duties  in  a  distant  State,  he  never  forgot  the  friends 
of  his  youthful  days  nor  the  scenes  of  his  early  triumphs, 
and  hither  he  returned  as  often  as  numerous  cares  per- 
mitted. He  returned  to  us  because  his  heart's  desire 
was  here.  Here,  to  him,  the  fields  were  the  greenest, 
here  the  flowers  bloomed  the  l^rightest,  here  the  birds 
sang  the  sweetest.  He  was  loyal  to  the  State  of  his 
adoption,  ])ut  it  is  still  to  his  honor  to  say  that  he  loved 
Michigan  l)est,  and  that  among  the  proud  cities  wliich 
our  State  can  boast,  of  nil  her  broad  acres  and  teeming 

207 


thousands,  the  plain  people  of  the  little  city  of  Mason 
were  first  in  his  affections. 

He  went  out  from  among  us  to  extend  his  influence 
and  make  for  himself  a  greater  name,  a  name  which  is  in 
a  measure  reflected  back  upon  us.  There  is  a  melancholy 
pleasure  in  the  fact  that  even  in  death  he  has  returned 
to  be  among  the  scenes  and  associations  of  his  fondest 
years.  Could  he  break  the  everlasting  silence,  I  am  sure 
he  would  say,  "  It  is  well."  He  would  smile,  to  know  that 
because  of  appreciation  of  the  service  he  rendered  and  the 
love  he  bore  his  fellow  creatures,  his  grave  would  be  a 
sacred  spot  to  those  who  linger  in  Time's  shadowy  vale. 

This  tribute  is  altogether  weak  and  inexpressive  of 
the  sentiments  and  feelings  which  prompt  my  words, 
but  it  is  all  that  I  can  bring.  In  times  like  this,  the  mute 
eloquence  of  silence,  and  the  most  glowing  panegyric,  are 
as  one;  ineffectual  to  tell  the  deeper  passions  of  the  heart. 


268 


NoRRis  Branch 

Since  that  far  off  day  when  the  morning  and  the  evening 
star,  first  sang  together,  man  has  stood  with  bowed  head 
and  sad  heart  in  the  presence  of  the  mj^sterj^  of  death. 
Neither  the  meditations  of  the  philosopher,  the  songs  of 
the  poet,  nor  the  revelations  of  the  priest  and  prophet, 
have  been  able  to  give  charm  to  this  great  unknown  and 
unknowable  fact;  but  there  is  something  in  the  heart  of 
man,  born  of  a  noble  faith,  that  bids  the  children  of  earth 
to  enter  the  valley  oi  the  shadow  and  know  that  all  is 
well;  that  bids  us  know  that  life,  like  matter,  is  indes- 
tructible ;  and  that  the  beneficent  Power  that  holds  worlds 
to  their  course,  paints  the  rainbow  upon  the  cloud  and 
gives  perfume  to  the  rose,  is  not  forgetful  of  His  creatures. 

I  am  glad  to  be  here  to  speak  a  word  of  tribute  to  my 
friend.  He  had  defects  and  he  had  virtues.  It  is  not 
my  mission  to  obscure  the  one  nor  to  magnify  the  other, 
for  there  is  strength  and  there  is  weakness  everywhere. 
In  nature,  floods  devastate  the  valleys  of  peace  and 
plenty,  pestilence  puts  a  land  in  mourning,  and  sun  and 
cloud  dot  the  same  landscape. 

I  loved  our  brother  for  the  exuberance  of  his  nature. 
He  saw  life  through  the  eyes  of  j-outh.  I  loved  him  for 
the  loyalty  of  his  friendship.  In  this  I  knew  him  best. 
He  was  more  than  friendly,  he  was  generous  and  kind. 
He  was  not  the  friend  of  prosperity  alone,  but  his  was 
the  friendship  that  could  stand  stress  and  storm.  His 
generosity  was  not  of  the  quality  that  spent  its  force  in 
well-wishing  for  his  fellow,  he  was  ever  willing  to   give 

Remarks  made  at  the  funeral  service  for  a  friend  in  Mason. 

209 


and  to  do.  If  want  and  suffering  came  in  his  way,  he 
did  not  pass  them  by  upon  the  other  side;  for  he  loved 
his  fellowman,  and  this  busy  and  sometimes  seemingly 
heartless  world  can  boast  no  nobler  virtue. 

Father,  mother,  wife,  children, — we  have  lost  a 
friend.  We  shall  miss  him,  but  there  will  be  joy 
in  the  remembrance  of  his  virtues.  The  day  is  dark, 
but  let  U3  fill  our  hearts  with  the  inspiration  of  Long- 
fellow's beautiful  lines,  and  feel  as  we  say, 

•  Be  still,  sad  heart!  and  cease  repining; 
Behind  the  clouds  is  the  sun  still  shining; 
Thy  fate  is  the  common  fate  of  all, 
Into  each  life  some  rain  must  fall, 
Some  days  must  be  dark  and  dreary. 

But  a  little  while  ago,  summer  clothed  the  hills  and 
vales  with  a  mantle  of  emerald,  harvests  filled  the  valleys 
and  crowned  the  uplands;  there  was  song  in  the  copse, 
and  a  breath  of  perfume  was  borne  upon  the  gale.  Now 
all  is  seeming  dead  beneath  a  winding  sheet  of  snow;  but 
blossoming  fields,  the  nodding  flowers,  and  singing  birds, 
will  come  again,  for  they  do  not  sleep  the  sleep  that 
knows  no  waking.  So  methinks,  it  will  be  with  him  who 
has  gone  before. 

Let  us  believe,  that  in  tlie  serious  moments  of  his  life, 
wdth  a  better  knowledge  of  his  strength  and  weakness, 
with  a  better  knowledge  of  his  hopes  and  purposes  than 
we  can  know,  his  heart  and  ^  soul  could  say  in  the  noble 
lines  of  Tennj^son, 


210 


Sunset  and  evening  star, 

And  one  clear  call  for  me! 
And  may  there  be  no  moaning  of  the  bar, 

When  I  put  out  to  sea. 

But  such  a  tide  as  mo\dng  seems  asleep, 

Too  full  for  somid  and  foam, 
When  that  which  drew  from  out  the  boundless  deep 

Turns  again  home. 

Twilight  and  evening  bell. 

And  after  that  the  dark! 
And  may  there  be  no  sadness  of  farewell. 

When  I  embark. 

For  tho'  from  out  our  bourne  of  Time  and  Place 

The  flood  may  bear  me  far, 
I  hope  to  see  my  Pilot  face  to  face 

When  I  have  crost  the  bar. 


211 


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